KiNu  JOHN   bHiMNG  Till:  MAGNA  CHAKTA.  [See  page  22. 


THE  STORY  OF  LIBERTY 


BY 


CHARLES   CARLETON   COFFIN 


AUTHOR   OF  "THE   BOYS   OF  '76' 


3llu6trateb 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS 

FRANKLIN    SQUARE 
1879 


^1 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1878,  by 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS, 

In   the  Office   of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


INTRODUCTION 


To  the  Boys  and  Girls  of  America  : 

This  "  Story  of  Liberty "  is  a  true  narrative.  It  covers  a  period  of 
live  hundred  years,  and  is  an  outline  of  the  march  of  tlie  human  race 
from  Slavery  to  Freedom. 

There  are  some  points  in  this  book  to  which  I  desire  to  direct  your 
attention.  You  will  notice  that  the  events  which  have  given  direction 
to  the  course  of  historj'  have  not  always  been  great  battles,  for  very  few 
of  the  many  conflicts  of  arras  have  had  any  determining  force ;  but  it 
will  be  seen  that  insignificant  events  have  been  not  unfrequently  fol- 
lowed by  momentous  results.  You  will  see  that  everything  of  tlie  present, 
be  it  good  or  bad,  may  be  traced  to  something  in  the  past;  that  history 
is  a  chain  of  events.  You  will  also  notice  that  history  is  like  a  drama, 
and  that  there  are  but  a  few  principal  actors.     How  few  there  have  been  ! 

The  first  to  appear  in  this  "  Story"  is  King  John  of  England.  Out  of 
his  signing  his  name  to  the  Magna  Charta  have  come  the  Parliament  of 
Great  Britain  and  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  representative 
governments  everywhere.  The  next  actors  were  John  Wicklif  and  Geof- 
frey Chaucer,  who  sowed  seed  that  is  now  ripening  in  individual  liberty. 
Then  came  Henry  VH.,  Henry  VIII.,  Katherine  of  Aragon,  Anne  Boleyn, 
Katherine's  daughter  (Mary  Tudor),  Cardinal  Wolsey,  Archbishop  Cran- 
mer,  Anne  Boleyn's  daughter  (Elizabeth),  King  James,  John  Smith,  John 
Robinson,  William  Brewster,  and  the  men  and  women  of  Austerfield  and 
Scrooby. 

In  Scotland  were  Mary  Stuart  and  George  Buchanan  ;  in  Bohemia, 
Professor  Faulfash  and  John  IIuss  ;  in  Germany,  the  boy  who  sung  for 
his  breakfast  (Martin  Luther),  Duke  Frederick,  John  Tetzel,  and  John 
Guttenberg;  in  Holland,  Laurence  Coster,  Doctor  Erasmus,  and  William 


8  .,'.'',,.'     '''*"    INTRODUCTION. 

the  Sikilf ;'  'iri  Finance;  Fraricis'  1,  Catherine  de'  Medici,  the  Duke  of  Guise, 
Charles  IX.,  and  Henry  IV. ;  in  Spain,  Thomas  de  Torqueniada,  Isabella, 
Ferdinand,  Christopher  Columbus,  Charles  V.,  Philip  II.,  and  Loyola ;  in 
Italy,  Alexander  VI,  and  Leo  X.  These  have  taken  great  parts  in  the 
drama :  actively  or  passively,  they  have  been  the  central  figures. 

One  other  thing :  you  will  notice  that  the  one  question  greater  than 
all  others  has  been  in  regard  to  the  right  of  men  to  think  for  themselves, 
especially  in  matters  pertaining  to  religion.  Popes,  archbishops,  cardinals, 
bishops,  and  priests  have  disputed  the  right,  to  secure  which  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  men  and  women  have  yielded  their  lives.  You  will  also 
take  special  notice  that  nothing  is  said  against  religion — nothing  against 
the  Pope  because  he  is  Pope ;  nothing  against  a  Catholic  because  he  is 
a  Catholic  ;  nor  against  a  Protestant  because  he  protests  against  the  au- 
thority of  the  Church  of  Rome.  Facts  of  history  only  are  given.  Cath- 
olics and  Protestants  alike  have  persecuted,  robbed,  plundered,  maltreated, 
imprisoned,  and  burned  men  and  women  for  not  believing  as  they  be- 
lieved. Through  ignorance,  superstition,  intolerance,  and  bigotry  ;  through 
thinking  that  they  alone  were  right,  and  that  those  who  differed  with  them 
were  wrong;  forgetting  that  might  never  makes  right;  honestly  thinking 
that  they  were  doing  God  service  in  rooting  out  heretics,  they  filled  the 
world  with  woe. 

There  is  still  another  point  to  be  noticed  :  that  the  successes  of  those 
who  have  struggled  to  keep  men  in  slavery  have  often  proved  to  be  in 
reality  failures ;  while  the  defeats  of  those  who  were  fighting  for  freedom 
have  often  been  victories.  Emperors,  kings,  cardinals,  priests,  and  popes 
have  had  their  own  way,  and  yet  their  plans  have  failed  in  the  end.  They 
plucked  golden  fruit,  which  changed  to  apples  of  Sodom.  Mary  Tudor 
resolutel}^  set  herself  to  root  out  all  heretics,  and  yet  there  Avere  more 
heretics  in  England  on  the  day  of  her  death  than  when  she  ascended 
the  throne.  Charles  V.  and  Philip  II.  grasped  at  universal  dominion  ; 
but  their  strength  became  weakness,  their  achievements  failures.  On  the 
other  hand,  see  what  has  come  from  disaster !  How  bitter  to  John  Rob- 
inson, William  Brewster,  and  the  poor  people  of  Scroob}'  and  Austerfield, 
to  be  driven  from  home,  to  be  exiles !  But  out  of  that  bitterness  has 
come  the  Republic  of  the  Western  world  !  Who  won — King  James,  or 
John  Robinson  and  William  Brewster? 


INTEODUCTION.  9 

There  is  still  one  other  point :  you  will  notice  that  while  the  oppress- 
ors have  carried  out  their  plans,  and  had  things  their  own  way,  there 
were  other  forces  silently  at  work,  which  in  time  undermined  their  plans, 
as  if  a  Divine  hand  were  directing  the  counter -plan.  Whoever  peruses 
the  "  Storj'  of  Liberty"  without  recognizing  this  feature  will  fail  of  fully 
comprehending  the  meaning  of  history.  There  must  be  a  meaning  to 
history,  or  else  existence  is  an  incomprehensible  enigma. 

Some  men  assert  that  the  marvellous  events  of  history  are  only  a  series 
of  coincidences;  but  was  it  by  chance  that  the  great  uprising  in  Germany 
once  lay  enfolded,  as  it  were,  in  the  beckoning  hand  of  Ursula  Cotta  ? 
How  happened  it  that  behind  the  passion  of  Henry  YIIL  for  Anne  Boleyn 
should  be  the  separation  of  England  from  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  all 
the  mighty  results  to  civilization  and  Christianity  that  came  from  that 
event  ?  How  came  it  to  pass  that,  when  the  world  was  read}-  for  it,  and 
not  before,  George  Buchanan  should  teach  the  doctrine  that  the  people 
were  the  only  legitimate  source  of  power  ?  Men  act  freely  in  laying  and 
executing  their  plans ;  but  behmd  the  turmoil  and  conflict  of  human  wills 
there  is  an  unseen  power  that  shapes  destiny — nations  rise  and  fall,  gen- 
erations come  and  go;  yet  through  the  ages  there  has  been  an  advance- 
ment of  Justice,  Truth,  Right,  and  Liberty.  To  what  end  ?  Is  it  not 
the  march  of  the  human  race  toward  an  Eden  of  rest  and  peace  ? 

If  while  reading  this  "  Story"  you  are  roused  to  indignation,  or  pained 
at  the  recital  of  wrong  and  outrage,  remember  that  out  of  endurance  and 
sacrifice  has  come  all  that  you  hold  most  dear ;  so  will  you  comprehend 
what  Liberty  has  cost,  and  what  it  is  worth. 

Charles  Carleton  Coffin. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I.  PAGK 

John  Lackland  and  the  Barons 1' 

CHAPTER   II. 
The  Man  who  Preached  after  He  avas  Dead 30 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Fire  that  was  Kindled  in  Bohemia 55 

CHAPTER   IV. 
What  Laurence  Coster  and  John  Guttenberg  did  for  Liberty G9 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Men  who  Ask  Qdestions.... 80 

CHAPTER  VI. 
How  a  Man  Tried  to  Reach  the  East  by  Sailing  West 97 

CHAPTER  VIL 
The  New  Home  of  Liberty- 123 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
A  Boy  who  Objected  to  Marrying  his  Brother's  W^idow 140 

CHAPTER   IX. 
The  Man  who  Can  Do  no  Wrong 159 

CHAPTER   X. 
The  Boy  Sung  for  his  Breakfast , 172 

CHAPTER  XL 
What  the  Boy  who  Sung  for  his  Breakfast  Saw  in  Rome 178 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Boy-cardinal 193 

CHAPTER  XIIL 
The  Boy'-emperor 210 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold 216 


12  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XV.  PAGK 

The  Men  who  Ohky  Orders 222 

CHAPTER   XVI. 
Plans  that  did  not  Come  to  Pass 22U 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
The  Man  who  Split  the  Church  in  Twain 241 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Queen  avho  Burned  Heretics 2ti4 

CHAPTER   XIX. 
How  Liberty  Began  in  France 283 

CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Man  who  Filled  the  World  with  Woe 293 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Progress  of  Liberty  in  England 298 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
How  the  Popk  Put  Down  the  Heretics 302 

CHAPTER   XXIIL 
The  Queen  of  the  Scots 311 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
St.  Bartholomew 31 G 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
How  the  "Beggars"  Fought  for  their  Rights 328 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Why  the  Queen  of  Scotland  Lost  her  Head 338 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
The  Retribution  that  Followed  Crime 344 

CHAPTER   XXVIII. 
William  Brewster  and  his  Friends 351 

'  CHAPTER  XXIX. 
The  Star  of  Empire 360 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
The  "  Half-moon" 378 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 
Strangers  and  Pilgrims 383 


ILLUSTRATIONS, 


PAGE 

King  John  Signing  the  Magna  Charta.  FrHispiece 
Windsor  Castle,  from  the  Meadow  at  Runny- 

mede 17 

Battle  of  Acre 18 

Richard  Slaughtering  the  Saracens 19 

Crusaders 1  y 

King  John '1\ 

Round  Tower  of  Windsor  Castle 22 

Windsor  Castle  (south  view) 23 

Windsor  Castle  (east  view) 24 

The    Place    where   the    Magna   Charta   was 

Signed 25 

"He  has  the  right  of  deposing  emperors". .  26 
"All  the  princes  of  the  earth  shall  kiss  his 

feet " 27 

The  Church 27 

Canterbury  Cathedral 28 

Gray's  Monument 29 

Lutterworth  Church 30 

Stratford 31 

The  Monks 32 

Carmelite  J~  -'•     .  .  : 32 

Good  Old  Vt._^ S3 

The  Way  St.  Dunstan  Served  the  Devil 34 

A  Knight  Fighting  a  Dragon 35 

Mischief  in  the  Air 36 

A  Monk  Preaching 37 

Adoration  of  Relies 38 

The  Interior  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford 39 

Front  of  Baliol  College,  Oxford 39 

A  Monk  in  the  Time  of  Wicklif. 40 

Lambeth  Palace 41 

Reading  the  Bull 42 

Preaching-place,  London 43 

John  Wicklif  Translating  the  Bible 43 

Bible  Chained  to  a  Desk 44 

Florence 45 

Canterbury 46 


PAGE 

The  Westgate,  Canterbury 47 

Savoy  Palace  48 

A  Bishop 49 

The  Pilgrims  Starting  from  the  Tabard  Tav- 
ern   50 

The  Monks  Humbling  the  King.     (From  an 

Old  Print) 51 

Chaucer's  Monument 52 

The  Land  of  the  Windmills 53 

Receiving  Absolution 55 

Ruins  of  the  Papal  Palace  at  Avignon 56 

The  Pope  on  his  Throne 57 

Castle  of  St.  Angelo 58 

The  Holy  Men  Settling  a  Dispute 59 

The  Old  Town 60 

John  Huss  in  Prison 60 

The  Cojmcil 62 

The  Procession 64 

Burning  of  John  Huss 66 

The  Falls  of  Schaffhausen . 68 

Haerlem 69 

Canal  in  Holland 70 

Street  in  Holland 71 

Rheinstein 72 

Bingen 73 

Laurence  Coster 74 

Guttenberg's  First  Proof  75 

Specimen  of  Type 75 

John  Guttenberg " i 76 

William  Caxton 77 

Illuminated  Letter 77 

Presenting  a  Bible  to  the  King.     (From  an 

Old  Print) 78 

Monument  to  Guttenberg 79 

Yalladolid  Cathedral 80 

Isabella 81 

Coronation  of  Isabella 82 

Dominican  Monk 83 


14 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PASI! 

A  Thumb-screw 83 

Torture  Chamber 84 

"Believe  as  I  believe,  or  I'll  roast  you".. .     8.5 
Burning  a  Heretic  in  Presence  of  the  Pope.     86 

Good  enough  for  Heretics 87 

Burning  the  Bishop  of  Tarragona 88 

"  Friends  they  had  none" 90 

A  Moor's  Palace * 91 

Court  of  the  Alhambra 92 

Along  the  Corridors  of  the  Palace 92 

Gibraltar 94 

Street  Scene  in  Spain 95 

Moors 96 

The  Alhambra 97 

Columbus 98 

Wool-comber 99 

He  Believes  that  the  Earth  is  Round 99 

The  Old  Castle 100 

Marco  Polo. 101 

Genoa 102 

"A  morsel  of  bread  for  Diego,  if  you  please"  103 
"  By  sailing  west,  I  shall  be  able  to  reach 

the  Indies  " 104 

Columbus  Explaining  his  Plan  before  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella 105 

Returning  to  the  Alhambra 106 

The  Ships ". 108 

The  Canary  Islands 1 09 

Galileo 110 

Sea-weed Ill 

The  New  World 112 

The  Landing 113 

Along  the  Shore 114 

Rearing  the  Cross 115 

Returning  to  Spain 116 

The  King  and  Queen  Receive  lum  in  Great 

State 117 

That  is  the  Way  to  Do  it 117 

All  have  Perished 118 

In  Chains 119 

A  Dragon  Eating  it  Up 120 

The  Rescue * 121 

Columbus's  Monument,  Genoa 122 

Sebastian  Cabot 123 

The  Sea  Swarms  with  Fish 124 

Among  the  Icebergs 125 

The  Rocky  Shore 126 

The  Caverns 127 

Amerigo  Vespucci 128 

Dressing  their  Fisli 129 

Two  Men  Bring  a  Cask  on  Board 130 


The   Head   of  the   Cask  Falls   out,  and  a 

Young  Man  Stands  before  them 131 

The  Chief  Offers  his  Daughter  in  Marriage.  132 

"  Do  you.  quarrel  about  such  stuff  ?" 133 

Climbing  the  Mountains 134 

Slaughter  of  the  Indians 135 

Discovery  of  the  Pacific 136 

Balboa  Taking  Possession  of  the  Pacific. .  137 

The  Hounds  Tear  him  to  Pieces 138 

Execution  of  Balboa 139 

Lollards'  Prison 140 

The  Council  Chamber,  Tower  of  London. . .  141 

The  Sanctuary 142 

The  Chest 142 

Erasmus 143 

Westminster  Abbey  and  its  Precinct,  about 

A.D.  1735 144 

Westminster  Abbey 145 

Shrine  of  Edward  the  Confessor 146 

North  Ambulatory  and  Chantry 147 

The  Cloister 148 

Henry  VII.'s  Chapel 150 

Sculpture  on  the  Wall  in  the  Abbey 151 

Katherine 152 

Scrooby 154 

Margaret 155 

Coffins  of  James  I.,  Elizabeth  of  York,  and 
Henry  VII.,  as  seen  on  Opening  the  Vault 

in  1869 156 

Henry  VIII 157 

Coronation  Chair 158 

The  Pope  in  his  Palace ". 160 

The  Pope  Going  to  St.  Peter's 161 

Caisar  Borgia 162 

The  Cardinals 163 

Vittoria  Colonna 165 

Lucretia  Borgia 166 

The   Tiber,  St.  Peter's,  and  Castle  of  St. 

Angelo 167 

The  Priests'  Procession 170 

The  Early  Morning  Chant  at  Eisenach  ....  173 

Ursula  Cotta  and  Martin  Luther 174 

The  Students'  Festival 175 

The  Augustine  Friars 176' 

Over  the  Mountains 179 

The  Canipagna 180 

The  Place  where  Cicero  Delivered  his  Ora- 
tions   181 

The  Building  which  the  Jews  Erected 182 

From    this   Palace  went  forth  the   Decree 

"  that  all  the  world  should  be  ta.\ed". . .  183 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


15 


PAGE 

The  Arch  of  Titus 185 

The  Coliseum 186 

Fan-bearers 187 

Carrying  the  Pope's  Crown 188 

The  Doll  that  Works  Miracles 189 

Kissing  St.  Peter's  Toe 190 

Climbing  the  Stairs 192 

The  Pope's  Chapel 194 

The  Cardinals  in  Procession 195 

The  Pope  in  his  Carriage 197 

Blessing  Horses 198 

St.  Peter's  and  the  Vatican 200 

Luther  Inspired  by  Satan 203 

Confession  to  God. — Purchasing  Pardon . . .   204 

Christ,  the  True  Light 205 

Papa,  Doctor  Theologise  et  Magister  Fidei  .   206 

The  Pope  Cast  into  Hell 206 

Luther  before  Cardinal  Cajetau 208 

Frankfort 211 

Interior  of  Chapter-house,  Canterbui'y 212 

Thomas  Wolsey  and  his  Companions  in  the 

Stocks 212 

Cardinal  Wolsey 213 

The  Great  Harry 214 

Francis  1 216 

Tilting 217 

Champion  of  the  Tournament 217 

The  Tournament 218 

The  Cooks  Getting  Dinner 219 

The  Queen's  Carriage 219 

The  Cathedral,  Florence 221 

Ignatius  Loyola 223 

The  Jesuit     '      >nary 225 

Melancthon 228 

A  Street  in  the  Old  Town 232 

Doctor  Luther  at  Worms 235 

Luther  and  the  Pope.     (From  an  Old  Print)  238 

View  from  Albert  Diirer's  House 239 

Wolsey's  Palace 241 

Henry  and  Anne 242 

-Main  Entrance  to  Wolsey's  Palace 243 

Buckingham 244 

Buckingham  on  his  Way  to  Prison 245 

I'he  Court  at  Blackfriars 246 

The  Old  Guildhall,  London 247 

Westminster,  1532 249 

Return  from  the  Christening 250 

Hall  in  Cardinal  Wolsey's  Palace 251 

Old  Ciiurch  at  Austerfield 252 

The  Cardinal's  Hat  and  Seal 253 

ilore's  House 254 


PAGE 

Sir  Thomas  More 255 

The  Guildhall,  Norwich 256 

The  Tower 258 

The  Bloody  Tower 259 

Sir  Thomas  More  ami   his   Daughter  Mar- 

gai-et  in  the  Tower 260 

Smithfield  in  1546.     The  Burning  of  Anne 

Askew 261 

All  Day  long  the  People  Read  it 262 

Gold  Medal  of  Henry  VIII 263 

The  Beheading-block 265 

Traitor's  Gate 266 

Philip 267 

Winchester 268 

A  Grandee 269 

St.  Mary  Overy,  South wark 270 

Street  in  London  in  the  Time  of  Mary ....  272 

Bearing  Fagots 273 

Hadleigh  Church 275 

St.  Botolph's  Church,  Aldgate 275 

Bridge  at  Hadleigh 276 

Almshouses  at  Hadleigh 276 

The  Martyrs'  Stone 277 

Old  Chapel  at  Brentwood 278 

The  Old  Bocardo  Prison,  Oxford 279 

Old  Marshalsea 280 

Burning  the  Hand 281 

Old  Paul's  Cross— Riots  in  1556 281 

The  Martyr's  Memorial,  Oxford 282 

Bernard"  Pahs.sy 283 

Heating  the  Furnace 284 

Wine  and  Garlic  will  Make  him  Strong  . .  .   285 

Jeanne  d'Albret 286 

Catherine  de'  Medici  in  Court  Dress 287 

Henry  and  Montgomery  at  the  Tournament.  288 

Chateau  of  Amboise 290 

Fontainebleau 291 

Charles  V 293 

Burning  the  Monks 296 

The  River  Avon 299 

Room  in  which  Shakspeare  was  Born 300 

Skakspeare  Reading  One  of  his   Plays  to 

Elizabeth 301 

The  Cardinal  of  Lorraine 303 

Catherine  de'  Medici 304 

The  Valleys  of  the  Vaudois 306 

Jeanne  and  Henry  escaping  from  Paris  . .  .   307 

Burying  the  Heretics  Alive 308 

The  Valley  of  Pra  del  Tor 309 

Mary,  Queen  of  Scots 311 

Lord  Darnley , 312 


16 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Holyrood  Palace 313 

Marguerite  of  Lorraine 316 

Charles  IX 317 

Admiral  Coligny 318 

Notre  Dame 319 

Tiie  Marriage 320 

The  Louvre 321 

Assassination  of  Coligny 322 

Just  before  Daybreak,  Sunday  Morning — St. 

Bartholomew 324 

Parting  to  Meet  no  More 325 

The  Picture  which  the  Pope  Ordered  to  be 

Painted 326 

A  Dog  Team 328 

William  the  Silent 329 

The  Great  Canal 330 

The  Fortifications 331 

Leyden 333 

The  Old  Church 336 

Amsterdam 337 

Queen  Elizabeth 339 

Autograph  of  Queen  Elizabeth 343 

Henry  III 345 

"With  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 

measured  to  you  again  " 346 

Jacques  Clement  Killing  the  King 348 

For  the  Sake  of  Peace,  He  will  Acknowledge 

the  Pope 849 

Dancing  on  the  Green 352 

Peasants'  Ball 353 

Ale-drinkers 355 


James  1 356 

Holland  Farm-house 358 

Sir  Walter  Enjoying  his  Pipe.      (From  an 

Old  Print) 361 

John  Smith  Resolves  to  be  a  General 363 

John  Smith's  Fight  with  the  Turk ,  365 

The  Three  Turks'  Heads 366 

Smith's  Escape  from  Slavery 367 

Meeting  the  Indians 369 

The  First  Fight 371 

Pocahontas  Shields  hun  from  their  Clubs..   372 

Submission  of  the  Rappahannocks 374 

Captain  Smith  Subduing  the  Chief 375 

Ruins  at  Jamestown 376 

Off  Cape  North 378 

The  Half-moon  in  Chesapeake  Bay 379 

The  Half-moon  in  the  Hudson 380 

A  Highway  in  Holland 383 

St.  Peter's  Church 384 

Delftshaven 386 

The  Farewell  Meeting 388 

The  Mayflower 389 

Signing  the  Agreement 391 

Captain  Standish  Attacked  by  the  Indians.  394 

Map  of  Plymouth  Bay 395 

Plymouth  Harbor,  December,  1620 396 

Chair  and  Chest 397 

"  Welcome,  Englishmen  !" 398 

Massasoit's  Visit  to  the  Pilgrims 399 

The  Palace  of  King  Massasoit 400 

Sunday  at  Plymouth 402 


WINUSOK    CAblLli,   ilioii    llllu    xMliADuW    AT    KUNNYMliPli, 


l^iE  STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


JOHN  LACKLAND  AND  THE  BARONS. 


A 


T  the  time  wlien  this  story  begins  there  is  very  little  liberty  in  the 


the  Hiinnyniede  meadow,  wliere  the  Army  of  God  has  set  up  its  encamp- 
ment. 1^0  other  army  like  it  was  ever  seen.  All  the  great  men  of  Eng- 
land are  in  its  ranks — the  barons  and  lords,  the  owners  of  castles  who  ride 
on  noble  horses,  wear  coats  of  mail,  and  are  armed  with  swords  and  lances. 
Pavilions  and  tents  dot  the  meadow;  flags  and  banners  wave  in  tlie 
summer  air ;  General  Fitzwalter  is  commander.  There  is  no  hostile  army 
near  at  hand,  nor  will  there  be  any  clashing  of  arms  on  this  15th  of  June, 
and  yet  before  the  sun  goes  down  the  Army  of  God  will  win  a  great  vic- 

2 


IS 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


torj  over  the  King  of  England,  John  Lackland,  who  is  in  Windsor  Castle, 
M'hich  overlooks  the  meadow  from  the  south  side  of  the  river  Thames, 
which  comes  down  from  the  north-west  and  SM-eeps  on  to  London. 

The  king  is  called  John  Lackland  because  his  father  did  not  deed  him 
any  land.  IT  is  brother  was  Richard  Coeiu'  de  Lion — the  lion-hearted — 
who  was  brave,  but  also  wicked  and  crnel.  lie  commanded  the  Crusad- 
ers, and  fought  the  Saracens  under  Saladin,  iu  Palestine.  One  day  he 
told  his  cook  to  have  some  fresh  pork  for  dinner,  but  the  cook  had  no 
pork,  nor  did  he  know  where  to  lind  a  pig.  He  was  in  trouble,  for  if 
there  was  no  pork  on  the  table  he  would  stand  a  chance  of  having  his 
head  chopped  off.  lie  had  heard  it  said,  however,  that  human  flesh  tasted 
like  pork.  Knowing  that  no  poi-k  was  to  be  had,  he  killed  a  Saracen 
prisoner  and  cooked  some  of  the  flesh  and  placed  it  on  the  table. 

The  king  praised  the  dinner.  Perhaps,  however,  he  mistrusted  that  it 
was  not  pork,  for,  said  Richard,  "Bring  in  the  head  of  the  pig,  that  I  may 
see  it." 

The  poor  cook  knew  not  what  to  do.  Xow  he  certainly  would  have 
his  head  cut  off.  With  much  trembling  he  brought  in  the  head  of  the 
Saracen.     The  king  laughed  when  he  saw  it. 

"  We  shall  not  want  for  pork  as  long  as  we  have  sixty  thousand  prison- 
ers," he  said,  not  in  the  least  disturbed  to  know  that  he  had  been  eating 
human  flesh.     The  Saracen  general — Saladin — sent  thirty  ambassadors  to 


BATTLE    OF    ACRE. 


JOHN  LACKLAND  AND  THE  BAEONS. 


19 


Richard  beseecliing  liim  not  to  put  tlie  piisoiiers  to  deatli.     Ricliard  gave 
them   an  entertainment,  and  instead  of  ornamenting  the  banquet  with 


KICHAKU    SLAUGHTKRING    THE    SARACEN 


flowers,  he  had  tliirty  Saracens  killed,  and  their  heads  placed  on  the  table. 
Instead  of  ""'^-^ding  to  the  request  of  Saladin,  he  had  tlie  sixt}'  thousand 
men,  women,  and  children  slaughtered  out  on  the  plain  east  of  the  city  of 
Acre. 

"  Tell  yonr  master  that  after  such  a  fashion  the  Christians  wage  war 
against   intidels,"   said   Richard    to 
the  ambassadors.    Kings  did  as  they 
pleased,  but  for  everybody  else  there 
was  no  liberty. 

When  Richard  died,  John  seized 
all  his  money,  jewels,  and  the  throne, 
pretending  that  Richard  had  made 
a  will  in  his  favor.  John's  older 
brother,  Geoffrey,  who  was  heir  to 
the  throne,  was  dead  ;  but  Geoffrey 
had  a  son,  Arthur,  whose  right  to 
the  throne  was  as  good  as  John's. 
Arthur  was  a  bo}',  while  John  was 
thirty -two  years  old.  The  uncle 
seized  Arthur,  and  put  him  into  a 
dunn^eon  in  tlie  Tower  in  London, 


"^"^W*^ 


CULbVDl.Ub. 


20 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


and  ordered  the  keeper,  Hubert  de  Burgh,  to  put  Arthur's  eyes  out  with 
a  red-hot  iron.  Sliakspeare  has  pictured  tlie  scene  when  Hubert  entered 
one  morning  and  showed  Arthur  his  uncle's  order  : 

'^^Arth.  Must  you  with  hot  irons  burn  out  both  mine  eyes? 

Hub.  Young  boy,  I  must. 

Arth.  And  will  you? 

Hub.  And  I  will. 

Arth.  Have  you  the  heart?     When  your  head  did  but  ache, 
I  knit  my  handkercliief  about  your  brows, 
(The  best  I  had,  a  princess  wrought  it  me), 
And  I  did  never  ask  it  you  again : 
And  with  my  hand  at  midnight  held  your  head ; 
And,  like  the  watchfid  minutes  to  the  hour, 
Still  and  anon  eheer'd  up  the  heavy  time: 
Saying,  What  lack  you?  and  Where  lies  your  grief? 
Or,  What  good  love  may  I  perform  for  you  ? 
Many  a  poor  man's  son  would  have  lain  still. 
And  ne'er  have  spoke  a  loving  word  to  you ; 
But  you  at  your  sick  service  had  a  prince. 
Nay,  you  may  think  my  love  was  crafty  love. 
And  call  it  cunning;  Do,  an  if  you  will: 
If  Heaven  be  pleased  that  you  must  use  me  ill, 
Why,  then  you  must. — Will  you  put  out  mine  eyes  ? 
These  eyes  that  never  did,  nor  never  shall, 
So  much  as  frown  on  you? 

Hub.  I  have  sworn  to  do  it, 

And  with  hot  irons  must  I  burn  them  out." 

But  lie  did  not.  Arthur  was  so  affectionate  and  kind  that  Hubert  had 
not  the  heart  to  do  it.  It  is  not  certainly  known  what  became  of  Arthur, 
but  that  John  liad  him  murdered  is  most  probable. 

Before  John  seized  the  throne,  he  married  a  girl  named  Avisa,  daugli- 
ter  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester;  but  afterward  he  saw  Isabella,  wife  of 
Count  La  Marche,  in  Normandy,  and  deserting  Avisa,  persuaded  the  fool- 
ish woman  to  leave  her  husband  and  marry  him.  When  the  count  and 
his  friends  flew  to  arms,  he  seized  them,  took  them  over  to  England,  thrust 
them  into  loathsome  dungeons,  and  starved  them  to  death,  while  he  lived 
in  affluence  in  the  castle  at  Windsor. 

There  were  rich  Jews  in  London  and  Bristol,  and  John  coveted  their 
money.     He  seized  them. 

"Give  up  your  money,  or  I  will  have  your  teeth  pulled,  every  one  of 
them,"  said  he.    Most  of  them  gave  up  their  money;  but  one  man  resisted. 

"  Pull  a  tooth,"  said  the  king.     The  tooth  was  pulled. 

"  Will  you  give  up  your  money  V 

"  No." 


JOHN  LACKLAND  AND  THE  BARONS. 


21 


"  Pull  another."     Out  catne  another  tooth. 
"  Will  jou  comply  with  the  king's  demands  ?" 

"  Pull  'em  all  out."     Out  they  came. 

"  Will  you  hand  over  your  money  ?" 

"  No." 

"  Then  seize  it ;  take  all."  So  the  poor  man  lost  his  teeth,  and  his 
money  also. 

John  commanded  the  country  people  to  drive  their  cattle  into  camp, 
and  supply  his  soldiers  with  food.  The  people  in  AVales,  however,  would 
not  obey,  whereupon  he  seized  twenty -eight 
sons  of  the  chief  families,  and  shut  them  up 
in  prison.  That  stirred  the  Welshmen's  blood, 
and  they  flew  to  arms ;  but  John,  instead  of 
giving  up  the  young  men,  put  them  to  death. 
He  is  a  tyrant.  The  barons  and  lords  have 
resolved  that  they  will  no  longer  submit  to 
his  tyranny.  They  have  organized  themselves 
into  an  army,  calling  themselves  the  "Army 
of  God."  A  few  months  ago,  they  sent  a 
deputatio  '  the  king,  stating  their  de- 
mands. 

"  I  will  not  grant  them  liberties  which 
will  make  me  a  slave,"  he  said,  swearing  ter- 
rible oaths. 

There   is   no  liberty  for   anybody,  except 
for  this  wicked   and  cruel  tyrant.      But  his 
answer   only  makes   the  barons   more  deter- 
mined.    They  resolve  that  if  the  king  will  not  grant  what  they  ask,  they 
will  secure  it  by  the  sword. 

John  can  swear  terrible  oaths,  and  make  a  great  bluster;  but  he  is  a 
coward,  as  all  blusterers  are,  and  turns  pale  when  he  finds  that  the  Army 
of  God  is  marching  to  seize  him.  He  sends  word  to  the  barons  that  he 
will  meet  them  at  Kunnymede  on  the  15th  of  June,  and  grant  Avhat  they 
desire.  The  barons  have  written  out  their  demands  on  parchment.  They 
will  have  them  in  writing,  and  the  agreement  shall  be  the  law  of  the 
land. 

John  rides  down  from  the  Castle,  accompanied  by  a  cavalcade,  through 
Windsor  forest,  where  the  deer  are  feeding,  and  where  pheasants  are  build- 
ing their  nests,  and  meets  the  barons  on  an  island  in  the  river.     He  is  so 


KING    JOHN. 


22 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


frightened  that  he  does  not  ask  the  barons  to  make  any  modification  of 
their  demands,  but  grants  M'hat  they  desire.  A  great  piece  of  beeswax,  as 
large  as  a  saucer,  and  an  inch  thick,  is  stamped  with  John's  seal,  and 
attached  to  the  parchment;  then  the  king  rides  back  to  the  Castle,  moody 
and  gloomy  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  gets  inside  the  fortress,  he  rages  like  a 
madman,  walks  the  Iiall,  smiting  his  fists,  rolling  his  eyes,  gnashing  his 
teeth,  biting  sticks  and  chewing  straws,  cursing  the  barons,  and  swearing 
that  he  will  have  his  revenge.  What  is  this  document  to  which  the  king's 
seal  has  been  attached  ?  It  is  a  paper  establishing  a  Great  Council,  com- 
posed of  the  barons,  the  archbishops,  bishops,  and  earls,  whom  the  king  is 


?-fff 


Mi/ 


liUVSU    TOWlAi    OF    WIXDSUU    CASTLK. 


to  summon  from  time  to  time  by  name,  and  the  lesser  barons,  who  are  to 
be  summoned  by  the  sheriffs  of  the  counties.  Together,  they  are  to  be  a 
Parliament.     Hereafter  the  king  shall  not  levy  any  taxes  \liat  he  may 


JOHN  LACKLAND  AND  THE  BARONS. 


23 


please,  or  compel  people  to  drive  tl 
shall  say  what  taxes  shall  be  levied 


leir  cattle  into  camp ;  bnt  Parliament 
.     The  barons  may  choose  twenty-five 


MINU&Oll    CViTLL    (south    MhA\ ) 

of  their  number,  who  shall  see  that  the  provisions  of  the  agreement  are 
carried  out.  Another  agreement  is  that  no  freeman  shall  be  punished  till 
after  he  has  had  a  trial  by  his  ecpials.  There  are  other  stipulations,  but 
these  are  the  most  important.  The  agreement  is  called  the  Magna  Charta, 
or  Great  Charter, 

John  Lackland  plans  his  revenge.  There  is  a  powerful  man  in  Home, 
the  most  powerful  man  on  earth,  who  will  aid  him — Pope  Innocent  III. 
lie  claims  to  be,  and  the  bai'ons  and  everybody  else  regard  hira  as  God's 
representative  on  earth.  He  has  all  power.  The  people  have  been  taught 
to  believe  that  he  is  the  only  individual  in  the  world  who  has  the  right  to 
say  what  men  shall  believe  and  what  they  shall  do,  and  that  he  can  do  no 
wrong ;  that  what  he  says  is  right  is  right.  He  is  superior  to  all  kiugs 
and  emperors.  Just  after  the  great  battle  of  Hastings,  which  was  fought 
in  October,  1066,  Pope  Gregory  VII.  made  these  declarations  : 

"  To  the  Pope  helongs  the  right  of  making  new  laws. 

'■'■All  the  princes  of  the  earth  shall  kiss  his  feet. 

''He  has  the  right  of  deposing  eiitperors. 


24 


THE   STOKY   OF  LIBERTY. 


"  The  sentence  of  the  Pojm  can  be  revoked  by  none. 

'■''He  can  he  judged  by  none. 

'■'■  None  may  dare  to  jpronounce  sentence  u])on  any  one  who  a2)j)eals  to 
the  Pope. 

'■'■He  never  has  erred,  nor  can  he  ever  err. 

'■'■He  can  loose  subjects  from  the  oath  of  fealty. 

"  The  Po])e  is  holy.     He  can  do  no  lorong:'' 

Jolui  has  already  linmiliated  himself  before  the  Pope,  and  acknowl- 
edged liira  as  his  superior  in  everything.  He  sends  a  copy  of  the  Char- 
tei-,  that  the  Pope  may  read  it,  begging  to  be  released  from  keeping  his 
oath. 

The  Pope  is  very  angry  \vhen  he  reads  the  Charter,  for  he  sees  that  it 
encroaches  upon  his  authority,  taking  political  affairs  out  of  his  hands. 
He  swears  a  terrible  oath  that  the  barons  shall  be  punished  for  daring  to 
take  such  liberties.  He  releases  John  from  his  oath,  and  sends  word  to 
the  barons  that  if  they  do  not  renounce  the  Charter  he  will  excommuni- 
cate them.  The  barons  are  not  frightened,  however,  and  send  back  this 
reply  : 

"  It  is  not  the  Pope's  business  to  meddle  with  the  political  affairs  or 
the  rio-hts  and  liberties  of  Englishmen." 


WINDSOR    CASTLE    (eAST    VIEW). 


JOHN  LACKLAND  AND   THE  BARONS.  25 

The  Pope  excommunicates  tliem,  and  aids  John  in  stirring  up  the  peo- 
ple to  fight  the  barons.  He  excommunicates  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, tlie  highest  prelate  in  England,  wlio  officiates  in  Canterbury  Cathe- 
dral, and  who  sides  with  them.  The  barons,  seeing  that  the  Pope  and 
John  together  are  too  strong  for  them,  offer  the  crown  to  Lewis,  son  of 
the  King  of  France.  The  French  king  is  quite  willing  to  send  an  army 
to  help  them.  John  marches  along  the  sea-coast  to  prevent  the  landing  of 
the  French,  and  comes  to  a  low  place  when  the  tide  is  out ;  but  the  tide 
comes  in  suddenly  with  a  rush  and  roar,  and  he  loses  all  his  carriages, 
treasure,  baggage,  regalia,  and  many  of  his  soldiers,  and  is  obliged  to  flee. 


THE    PLACK    WHKKE    THE   MAGNA    CHARTA    WAS    SIGNED. 

A  few  months  later,  broken  down  by  fever,  by  disappointment,  and  rage, 
he  dies  at  Norwich,  and  his  son,  Henry  III.,  comes  to  the  throne. 

Thei-e  are  two  classes  of  people  in  England— the  upper  and  the  lower 
class— the  barons  and  the  villains.  A  villain  in  the  nineteenth  century  is 
a  swindler,  a  cheat ;  but  six  hundred  years  ago  a  villain  was  a  poor  man 
who  worked  for  his  living.  He  was  a  serf,  and  owed  allegiance  to  the 
barons.  The  villains  could  not  own  any  land,  nor  could  they  own  them- 
selves.    They  had  no  rights  nor  liberties. 

The  barons  are  a  few  hundreds,  the  villains  several  millions.  The 
barons,  while  demanding  their  own  liberties,  are  not  thinking  of  obtaining 
any  liberties  for  the  villains.     It  does  not  occur  to  them  that  a  villain  has 


26 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


HE    HAS    THE    lUGlIT    OF    DEPOSING    EMl'EKUllS. 


any  rights  or  liberties.     Little  do  they  know,  however,  of  what  will  gi'ow 
out  of  that  parchment. 

Six  centuries  and  a  half  have  passed  since  that  15th  of  June,  in  1215, 
at  Ilnnnyniede ;  the  meadows  are  as  fresh  and  green  as  then  ;  the  river 
winds  as  peacefully  as  it  has  through  all  the  years.     England  and  Amer- 


JOHN   LACKLAND   AND   TlIK   BARONS. 


27 


"all  the  pkinces  of  the  earth  shall  kiss  his  feet. 


ica  have  become  great  and  powerful  nations ;  but  would  they  have  been 
wliat  they  are  if  the  Army  of  God  liad  not  won  that  victory  over  John 
Lackland  ?  No ;  for  out  of  tliat  Charter  have  come  the  Parliament  of 
Great  Britain  and  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  many  other 
things.  It  was  the  first  great  step  of  the  Englisli  people  toward  freedom. 
Not  far  from  that  verdant  meadow  where  the  army  set  up  its  encamp- 
ment is  a  little  old  stone  church,  with  ivy  creeping  over  its  walls  and 
climbing  its  crumbling  tower.  One  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  Thomas 
Gray,  a  poet,  who  lived  in  a  little  hamlet  near  by,  used  to  wander  out  in 

the  evening  to  meditate  in  the  old  

church -yard,  and  here  he  wrote  a  --.jc  ^^^^-i_- 4. 

sweet  poem,  beginning,  ^' 

"The  curfew  tolls  the  knell  of  parting  day; 
The  lowing  herd  winds  slowly  o"er  the  lea  ; 
Tlie  ploughman  homeward  plods   his   weary 
way, 
And  leaves  the  world  to  daikness  and  to  me." 

A  few  years  after  he  wrote  it,  in 
1759,  one  night  a  great  fleet  of  Eng- 
lish M-ar-sliips  was  moored  in  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  and  an  army  in  boats 


the  church. 


28 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


with  muffled  oars  was  silently  moving  along  the  stream.  The  general 
commanding  it  was  James  Wolfe,  a  young  mau  only  thirty  years  of  age. 
In  his  army  were  soldiers  from  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Isl- 


CANTiililiUKV    CATHEDRAL. 


and,  Connecticut,  and  New  York.  One  of  General  Wolfe's  officers  was 
Colonel  Israel  Putnam,  of  Connecticut ;  another  was  Richard  Montgom- 
ery, of  New  York.  As  the  boats  moved  along  the  stream,  the  brave  young 
general  from  England  recited  this  verse  of  the  poem  : 

"Tlie  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power, 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth,  e'er  gave, 
Await,  alike,  th'  inevitable  hour  ; 

The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

"  I  would  rather  be  the  author  of  that  poem  than  take  Quebec  to-mor- 
row," said  he. 

But  would  the  poem  ever  have  been  written  if  the  Army  of  God  had 
not  set  up  its  baimers  ?     Quite  likely  not. 

In  the  darkness  the  army  under  General  Wolfe  climbed  the  steep  bank 
of  the  St.  Lawrence — so  steep  and  so  narrow  the  path  that  only  one  man 
at  a  time  could  climb  it ;  and  in  the  morning  the  whole  army  stood  on 
the  Plains  of  Abraham,  behind  Quebec.     Before  another  sunset  a  great 


JOHN  LACKLAND  AND  THE  BARONS. 


29 


battle  had  been  fonglit,  a  great  victory  won.  Wolfe  was  victor,  Mont- 
calm the  vanquished  ;  but  both  were  dead.  The  flag  of  France,  which 
had  floated  above  the  citadel  of  Quebec,  the  emblem  of  French  power, 
disappeared  forever,  and  the  flag  of  England  appeared  in  its  place.  From 
that  time  on  there  was  to  be  anotlier  language,  another  literature,  another 
religion,  another  civilization,  in  the  Western  World.  But  would  the  bat- 
tle ever  have  been  fought,  would  things  in  America  be  as  they  are,  if  the 
barons  had  not  obtained  that  agreement  in  writing  from  John  Lackland  ? 
No.  That  parchment,  crumpled  and  worn  and  yellow  with  time,  with  the 
great  round  seal  attached  to  it,  lies  in  a  glass  case  in  the  British  Museum, 
London.  The  parchment  is  but  a  piece  of  sheepskin  ;  the  wax  was  made 
by  the  bees  which  hummed  amidst  the  hawthorn  hedges  of  old  England 
six  hundred  years  ago.  The  parchment  and  the  wax  are  of  very  little 
account  in  themselves,  but  what  has  come  from  them  is  of  infinite  value. 
As  this  s  ••  goes  on,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  assembling  of  the  Army 
of  God  in  the  meadow  of  llunnymede  was  the  beginning  of  the  liberty 
which  we  now  enjoy. 


GRAY  S    MONUMKNT. 


30 


THE   STUKY  OF  LlBEliTY. 


CHAPTER  11. 


THE   i\rAN  WHO   PREACHED   AFTER   HE   WAS  DEAD. 

DOCTOR  JOHN  WICKLIF  lias  been  dead  these  forty  years,  and  his 
bones  have  been  lying  the  while  in  Lutterworth  Church-yard;  but  it 
has  been  decreed  by  the  great  Council  of  Constance  that  they  shall  lie  there 
no  longer.     A  party  of  monks,  with  pick  and  spade,  have  dug  them  np, 
and  now  they  kindle  a  fire,  burn  them  to  powder,  and  shovel  the  ashes  into 
_  a  brook  which  sweeps 

_^^^^^^-^  past  the  church-yard  ; 

:r:zt^^^  _  and   the   brook   bears 

---==f=;^  -^  them  on  to  the  Avon, 

which,  after  winding 
through  Stratford 
'   1"    '.  -  meadows,  falls  into  the 

Severn,  and  the  Sev- 
ern bears  them  to  the 
sea.  But  why  are  the 
monks  so  intent  upon 
annihilating  the  doc- 
tor's bones  ?  Because 
the  doctor,  who  was 
a  preacher,  though  he 
has  been  dead  so 
long,  still  continues  to 
preach !  The  monks 
wnll  have  no  more  of 
it;  and  the}'  think  that 
by  getting  rid  of  his  bones  they  will  put  an  end  to  his  preaching.  They 
forget  that  there  are  some  things  which  the  fire  will  not  burn — such  as 
liberty,  truth,  justice.  Little  do  they  think  th.at  the  doctor  will  keep  on 
]ireaching;  that  his  parish  will  be  the  world,  his  followers  citizens  of  every 
land;  that  his  preaching, together  with  that  parclunent  and  the  great  piece 


LUTTlCinvOUTlI    CHURCH. 


THE   MAN   WHO   PREACHED   AFTER  HE   WAS   DEAD. 


31 


of  beeswax  attached  to  it,  which  the  barons  obtained  from  John  Lackland, 
will  bring  about  a  new  order  of  things  in  human  affairs;  that  thrones 
will  be  overturned ;  that  sovereigns  will  become  subjects,  and  subjects 
sovereigns. 

A  century  has  passed  since  the  Magna  Charta  was  obtained,  but  not 
much  liberty  has  come  from  that  document  as  yet.     The  people  are  still 


ii& 


STRATIr  ORD. 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


THE    MONKS. 


villains.  Tlie  king  and  tlie  barons  plunder  them ;  the  monks,  friars,  bishops, 
and  archbishops — a  swarm  of  men  live  upon  them.  The}'  must  pay  taxes 
to  the  king,  to  the  barons,  and  to  the  priests ;  and  they  have  no  voice  in 
saying  what  or  how  much  the  taxes  shall  be.  They  are  ignorant.  They 
have  no  books.  Not  one  man  in  a  thousand  can  read.  The  priests  and 
the  parish  clerks,  the  bishops,  rich  men,  and 
their  children  are  the  only  ones  who  have  an 
opportunity  of  obtaining  an  education.  There 
are  no  schools  for  the  poor. 

The  priests  look  sharply  after  their  dues. 
Be  it  a  wedding,  a  fnneral,  tlie  saying  of  mass 
for  the  dead,  baptizing  a  child,  gi-anting  abso- 
lution for  sin,  or  any  other  service,  the  priest 
must  have  his  fee.  The  country  is  overrun 
with  monks  and  friars — Carmelites,  who  wear 
white  gowns ;  Fi-anciscans,  dressed  in  gray ; 
Augustinians  and  Dominicans,  who  M^ear  black. 
They  live  in  monastei-ies  and  abbeys,  shave 
their  crowns,  and  go  barefoot.  They  have 
cAKMKLiTii  3IONK.  tukcu  soleuui  VOWS  to  have  nothins:  to  do  with 


THE  MAN  WHO  PREACHED  AFTER  HE  WAS  DEAD. 


33 


tlie  world,  to  spend  their  time  in  fasting  and  praying ;  but,  notwithstand- 
ing their  vows,  nojie  of  the  people — none  but  the  rich  men — can  spread 
such  bountiful  tables  as  they,  for  the  monasteries,  abbeys,  nunneries,  con- 
vents, and  bishoprics  hold  half  the  land  in  England,  and  their  revenues 
are  greater  than  the  king's.  In  the  monastery  larders  are  shouldei-s  of  fat 
mutton,  quarters  of  juicy  beef,  haunches  of  choice  venison.     In  the  cellar;; 


GOOD    OLD    WINE. 


34 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


are  casks  of  good  old  wine  from  the  vineyards  of  Spain  and  the  banks 
of  the  Rhine,  and  yet  the  friars  are  the  greatest  beggars  in  the  country. 
They  go  fi-om  house  to  house,  leading  a  donkey,  with  panniers  hished  to 


1-^ 


=^=^0  S.Pv7~| 


THK    WAY    ST.  DUNSTAN    SERViiD    THE    DEVIL. 


the  animal's  sides,  or  else  carry  a  sack  on  their  backs,  begging  money, 
batter,  eggs,  clieeses,  receiving  anytliing  which  the  people  may  give;  and 
in  return  invoking  tlie  blessings  of  the  saints  upon  their  benefactors,  and 
cursing  those  who  refuse  to  give.  They  have  relics  for  sale  :  shreds  of 
clothing  which  they  declare  was  worn  by  the  Virgin  Mary;  pieces  of  the 
true  cross ;  bones  of  saints — all  very  holy. 

They  have  a  marvellons  story  to  relate  of  St.  Dunstan,  who  was  a 
blacksmith,  and  very  wicked,  but  afterward  became  a  good  man,  and  was 
made  Archbishop  of  Canteibury.     One  day  the  devil  came  and  looked 


THE   MAN   WHO  PREACHED  AFTER  HE   WAS  DEAD. 


35 


into  the  window  where  tlie  saint  was  at  work,  trj'ing  to  tempt  him,  where- 
upon St.  Dunstan  seized  his  red-hot  tongs  and  clapped  them  upon  the 
devil's  nose,  which  made  the  fiend  roar  with  pain ;  but  the  saint  held  him 
fast  till  he  promised  to  tempt  him  no  more. 

The  people  are  very  ignorant.  Tliere  are  no  schools ;  there  are  none 
to  teach  them  except  the  priests,  monks,  and  friars,  who  have  no  desire  to 
see  the  people  gaining  knowledge,  for  knowledge  is  power,  and  ignorance 
weakness.  The  people  are  superstitious,  as  ignorant  people  generally  are. 
They  believe  in  hobgoblins  and  ghosts.  They  have  startling  stories  to  re- 
late of  battles  between  brave  knights  and  dragons  that  spit  fire,  and  are 
terrible  to  behold.  St.  George,  the  patron  saint  of  England,  had  a  fierce 
encounter  wi|  dragon,  and  came  off  victorious.  The  peasants  relate  the 
stories  by  their  kitchen  fires  ;  the  nobles  narrate  them  in  their  castles ;  the 
poets  rehearse  the  exploits  of  the  brave  knights  in  verses,  which  the  min- 
strels sing  from  door  to  door.  Although  no  one  ever  has  seen  a  dragon, 
yet  everybody  believes  that  such  creatures  exist,  and  may  make  their  ap- 
pearance at  any  moment. 


The   people   believe   in   witches. 
Old  women  who  are  wrinkled  and 
bent  with  age  are  supposed  to  sell 
themselves  to  the  devil,  and  he  gives  them  power  to  come  and  go  through 
the  air  at  will,  riding  a  broomstick,  at  night,  bent  on  mischief ;  with  pow- 


36 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


er  to  fly  into  people's  houses 
throngli  the  keyholes,  to  bewitch 
men,  women,  children,  horses, 
31  dogs,  cattle,  and  everything.  If 
a  horse  is  contrary,  the  people 
say  old  Goody  So-and-so  has  be- 
witched it ;  if  the  butter  will  not 
come  in  the  churn,  the  cream 
is  bewitched ;  if  anything  hap- 
pens out  of  the  usual  course,  the 
witches  are  the  mischief. 

"  Tlierc  is  mischief  in  the  air." 

King,  priest,  nor  people  will  not 
suffer  witches  to  live,  for  the 
Bible  commands  their  destruc- 
tion, say  the  prelates  of  the 
Church,  who  alone  have  the  Bi- 
ble ;  and  many  a  poor,  innocent 
woman  is  put  to  death. 

The  monks  and  friars  hav- 
ing been  recognized  by  the  Pope,  and  holding  their  authority  directly 
from  him,  assert  their  right  to  preach  in  the  churches,  crowding  out  the 
parish  priests. 

Little  good  does  their  preaching  do.  It  is  mostly  marvellous  stories 
about  the  saints,  and  what  happened  to  people  who  did  not  feed  them  ;  or 
about  the  wonderful  miracles  performed  by  relics.  They  sell  pardons  for 
sins  committed  or  to  be  committed ;  and  they  have  indulgences  absolving 
men  from  all  penalties  in  this  life,  as  well  as  after  death.  The  monks 
drive  a  thrifty  trade  in  the  sale  of  relics.  The  good  people  who  believe 
all  the  stories  of  their  wonderful  power  to  cure  diseases,  to  preserve  them 
from  harm,  bow  down  befoie  the  bits  of  bone,  and  pieces  of  wood,  and 
rusty  nails,  and  rags  which  they  exhibit ;  bnt  there  are  so  many  relics 
that  some  of  the  people  begin  to  see  the  tricks  which  the  monks  are 
playing  upon  them,  for  it  is  discovered  that  John  the  Baptist  had  four 
shoulder-blades,  eight  arms,  eleven  fingers,  besides  twelve  complete  hands, 
thirteen  skulls,  and  seven  whole  bodies — enough  almost  for  a  regiment ! 
It  is  discovered  that  some  of  St.  Andrew's  bones  once  belonged  to  a  cow ; 
that  St.  Patrick  had  two  heads — one  small,  preserved  when  he  w-as  a  boy, 
and  the  otlier  large,  the  one  he  wore  when  he  became  a  man  ! 


MISCHIEF    IN    THE 


THE   MAN   WHO   PREACHED   AFTER   HE  WAS   DEAD. 


37 


Some  of  tlie  monks  spend  their  time  in  writing  books — printing  the 
letters  with  a  pen  ;  but  many  of  them  are  lazy.  The  abbots  and  bishops 
are  fond  of  hunting  foxes,  and  ride  with  the  country  gentlemen  after  the 
hounds,  and  sit  down  to  good  dinners  in  the  barons'  halls.  The  parish 
priests,  for  the  most  part,  are  ignorant.  Their  sermons  on  Sunday  ai-e 
narratives  of  monkish  ti'aditions,  stories  of  the  saints,  with  commands  to 
attend  mass.  They  get  up  spectacles  called  "  miracle  plays,"  acting  them 
as  dramas.  They  ask  the  women  and  girls  indecent  questions  when  they 
come  to  confession,  and  their  lives  are  very  far  from  being  pure.  They 
are  so  debased  that  they  drink  themselves  drnnk  in  the  village  ale-house. 

If  the  ni'"-^  ,  or  priests,  or  bishops  commit  a  crime,  even  though  it  be 
murder,  the  king  cannot  arrest  them,  for  the  bishops  have  their  court,  and 
a  man  who  enters  the  priesthood  is  not  amenable  to  civil  law.  They  are 
let  off  with  a  light  penance,  and  th.en  may  go  on  saying  mass,  and  absolv- 
ing the  peo})le  from  their 
sins.  But  if  one  of  the  peo- 
ple commits  murder,  he  will 
have  his  head  chopped  off 
by  one  of  the  king's  execu- 
tioners. 

The  pi-iests,  however,  are 
not  all  of  them  wicked. 
There  are  some  who,  instead 
of  spending  their  time  in  the 
ale-houses,  or  in  plunder- 
ing their  parishioners,  look 
kindly  after  their  welfare. 
Some  are  learned  men,  edu- 
cated at  Oxford  or  Cam- 
bridge, who  exhort  the  peo- 
ple to  lead  honest  lives.  The 
man  whose  bones  the  monks 
are  burning  was  a  good 
priest,  a  learned  man.  We 
may  tiiink  of  him  as  attend- 
ing school,  when  a  boy,  at 
Oxford,  graduating  from  one 
of  the  colleges ;  and,  after 
graduating,  he  studies  theol- 
ogy, and    becomes    a   priest,  ^  monk  rnEACHixo. 


38 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


and  preaches  in  the  Oxford  churches.  He  is  so  learned  and  eloquent  that 
the  people  come  in  crowds  to  hear  him.  There  are  students  at  Oxford 
from  all  over  Europe — from  France,  Holland,  Switzerland,  Germany,  and 
Bohemia — thirty  thousand  or  more — who  listen  to  his  preaching.  His 
fame  reaches  London  ;  the  king  (Edward  III.)  sends  for  him,  and  he 
preaches  to  the  court. 

A  gii-1,  who  is  as  good  as  she  is  beautiful — Anne,  the  daughter  of  the 
Kino;  of  Bohemia — comes  to  Enaland  to  be  the  wife  of  the  Prince  of 


ADORATION    OF    RKLICS. 


Wales,  Hichard  II.  She  listens  to  Doctor  "Wield If,  and  becomes  his  friend. 
With  her  come  many  of  the  nobles  of  Bohemia,  and  learned  men.  One 
of  them  is  Prof esso i»  Faul fash,  who  has  been  to  the  universities  of  Heidel-. 
berg,  in  Bavaria ;  Cologne,  on  the  banks  of  the  Phine ;  and  to  Paris. 
He  listens  witli  great  pleasure  to  the  eloquent  young  preacher,  and,  when 
he  goes  back  to  Bohemia,  carries  with  him  same  of  the  books  which  Doo- 
tor  Wicklif  has  written. 

Let  us   not   forget   Professor  Faulfash,  for  we  shall  see  him  again 
by-and-by. 


THE   MAN  WHO   PREACHED   AFTER  HE  WAS   DEAD. 


39 


Doctor  Wicklif  is  a  good 
man,  and  preaches  against 
the  immoral  practices  of  the 
monks  and  friars.  He  does 
not  arraign  them  before  the 
Bishops'  Court  for  their  ex- 
tortion, drunkenness,  or  infa- 
mous living ;  but  he  arraig]is 
them  at  the  bar  of  public 
opinion,  and  ^i-  is  a  great 
offence  in  thu  eyes  of  the 
monks,  who  say  that  the  peo- 
ple have  no  right  to  have  an 
opinion.  The  Pope  decrees 
that  men  must  believe  in  re- 
ligion as  he  believes.  There 
is  no  appeal  from  his  decree. 
If  a  man  believes  differently, 
he  shall  be  thrown  into  prib- 
on,  tortured  till  he  makes  -M 
confession,  and  then  he  is 
burned  to  death,  and  all  his 

property  conliscated.      Who  gave  the  popes  this  authority  ?      No  one  ; 
they  took  it,  and,  having  taken  it,  they  intend  to  keep  it. 

^  The  Pope  com- 

missions a  set  of 
men  to  hunt  for 
heretics.  They 
^^  are  Inquisitors,  or 

men  who  ask  ques- 
tions, and  have 
power  to  put  men 
to  death,  to  tort- 
ure, to  confiscate 
property.  We  shall 
fall  in  with  them 
farther  along  in 
the  story. 

Notwithstand- 

FRONT    OF    BALIOL    COLLEGE,    OXFORD.  lUg   tllC    PopC    prO- 


TIIE    INTEUIOR    OF      CHRIST      CHURCH,    OXFORD. 


H 


40  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

fesses  to  be  holy  and  incapable  of  doing  wrong,  Doctor  Wicklif  informs 
the  people  that  the  priests,  the  monks,  the  bishops,  and  the  Pope  himself, 
are  sinful,  like  other  men.  They  belong  to  a  holy  ofhce,  but  that  alone 
does  not  make  them  holy  men.  To  be  holy  they  must  lead  righteous  lives. 
It  is  not  right  for  them  to  extort  a  living  from  the  people,  by  threatening 
them  with  the  loss  of  their  souls  if  they  do  not  supply  their  wants.  Doc- 
tor AVicklif  denounces  them  as  a  set  of  robbers  who  live  upon  the  fat  of 
the  land,  while  the  people  are  in  poverty  and  wretchedness.  They  take 
from  the  people,  and  give  nothing  in  return.  They  are  ignorant;  many 
of  them  cannot  read,  and  can  only  mmnble  a  few  prayers.  They  mani- 
fest no  desire  to  acquire  knowledge,  and  would  like  to  keep  the  people  in 
ignorance.  He  maintains  that  the  king  is  superior  to  the  Pope  in  his 
own  realm,  and  that  he  has  a  right  to  put  a  stop  to  all  the  swindling  and 
extortions  of  the  monks,  and  to  punish  men  who  connnit  crime.  They 
cannot  tolerate  such  preaching,  for  it  makes  the  king  greater  than  the 
Pope.  It  is  the  exercise  of  an  individual  opinion,  the  beginning  of  indi- 
vidual liberty.  "  Doctor  Wicklif  is  a  heretic  !"  they  cry.  That  is  a  terri- 
ble accusation.  A  heretic  is  a  fellow  who  does  not  believe  as  they  believe. 
A  man  who  does  not  believe  that  the  Pope  can  do  no  wrong,  that  he  is 
not  superior  to  kings,  is  worthy  of  death.  He  ought  to  be  burned.  It  is 
the  duty  of  the  Pope,  the  bishops,  and  the  priests  to  prevent  the  spread 
of  such  opinions.  If  a  man  is  alflicted  with  a  cancer,  is  it  not  the  duty 
of  the  physicians  to  cut  it  out,  to  bm-n  it  with  tire  ?  The  Pope  and  the 
bishops  are  God's  physicians,  and  they  must  destroy  all  heretics:  so  they 
reason.  But  who  gave  them  this  authority  over  the  beliefs  of  men  ?  No 
one.  They  took  it,  and  have  exercised  it  so  long  that  they  honestly. be- 
lieve that  they  truly  are  God's  agents,  and  that  it  is  their  duty  to  exercise 
it,  and  to  exterminate  all  who  do  not  believe  as  they  do.  They  believe 
that  they  will  be  doing  God  service  if  they  put  to  death  all  who  do  not 
believe  what  the  Pope  decrees,  or  who  does  not  obey  all  liis  commands. 
Men  have  no  right  to  any  opinions  of  their  own.  So  at  this  period  tlie 
intellects  and  consciences  of  men  are  in  slavery. 

Doctor  Wicklif  is  summoned  to  appear  before  the  Bishops'  Court,  in 
the  palace  of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  a  great  building  which  stands 
on  the  baidvs  of  the  Thames,  in  Lambeth  Parish,  London.  On  a  day  in 
January,  1378,  the  bishops,  in  their  flowing  robes,  sit  in  the  Council  Cham- 
bers to  try  the  man  who  has  pi-eached  such  obnoxious  doctrines.  All 
London  is  astir.  People  come  in  boats  and  on  foot,  filling  the  streets. 
Nobles  and  great  men  are  there;  one  is  tlie  powerful  Duke  of  Lancaster, 
John  of  Gaunt.     Many  of  the  people  and  the  duke  alike  are  determined 


THE   MAN  WHO  PREACHED   AFTER   HE  WAS   DEAD. 


41 


that  no  harm  shall  come  to  the  man  who  has  preached  so  fearlessly,  and 
whom  they  love.  Anne  of  Bohemia  sends  word  that  he  must  be  protect- 
ed. The  bishops  do-  not  dare  to  put  him  in  prison  ;  but  they  report  him 
to  the  Pope,  and  the  Pope  sends  a  bull — not  an  animal  w^itli  four  legs  and 
two  horns,  and  ferocious,  but  a  piece  of  parchment,  with  a  ribbon  and  a 
round  piece  of  lead  attached  to  it,  which  is  called  a  bulla.     The  Pope's 


.^^'^"\^l(//^ 
/U^^^^^^^^ 


^/, 


LAMBETH    PALACK. 


seal  is  stamped  upon  the  lead,  ordering  Wicklif  to  make  his  appearance  in 
Rome  to  answer  the  charges  preferred  against  him.  The  Pope  cannot 
allow  a  parish  priest  to  set  up  his  opinions  unchallenged,  for  to  permit 


42 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Doctor  Wicklif  to  go  on  will  be  the  subversion  of  all  the  authority  and 
power  of  the  Pope,  bishops,  and  priests,  and  in  time  the  whole  fabric  of 
ecclesiastical  government  will  tumble  to  the  ground. 

Although  the  Pope  sends  his  summons,  Doctor  Wicklif  does  not  obey 
it,  for  he  Ts  getting  to  be  an  old  man,  and,  besides,  there  are  two  popes 
just  now— one  in  Rome,  and  one  at  Avignon,  in  France.  There  is  a  great 
division  in  the  Church.  The  people  compare  the  two  popes  to  the  dog 
Cerberus,  which,  according  to  the  old  Greeks,  sat  at  the  gate  leadnig  to 
the  infernal  regions.     The  popes  are  fighting  each  other.     The  King  of 


READING    THE    BULL. 


Castile  recognizes  the  French  Pope,  whereupon  the  Roman  Pope  sends 
word  to  the  people  of  Castile  tliat  if  they  do  not  obey  him  they  will  be 
forever  accursed.  The  Roman  head,  to  obtain  money,  sells  the  offices  of, 
the  Church.  Anybody  can  be  a  bishop,  archbishop,  or  cardinal  by  pay- 
ing for  it.  lie  sells  the  offices  over  and  over ;  and  if  those  whom  he  has 
cheated  complain,  he  can  laugh  in  their  faces :  he  has  their  money,  and 
they  may  help  themselves  if  they  can.  He  suspects  that  sonie  of  the  car- 
dinalsvare  corresponding  with  the  other  Pope  :  that  is  a  terrible  offence,  in 
his  eyes.     He  puts  them  to  torture  to  wring  a  confession  from  them,  and 


THE   MAN  WHO   PREACHED   AFTER  HE  WAS  DEAD. 


43 


then  puts  them  to  death.  lie 
curses  all  who  oppose  him, 
swears  fearful  oaths,  and  takes 
his  revenge  upon  some  priests 
who  offend  him  by  sewing 
them  up  in  sacks,  taking  them 
out  to  sea,  anc  :ching  them 
overboard  ! 

Doctor  Wicklif  reasons 
wisely  that  it  will  not  do  for 
him  to  make  his  appearance 
in  Rome  before  such  a  Pope, 
and  he  is  more  than  ever  of 
tiie  opinion  that  the  Pope 
commits  sin,  as  well  as  other 

men.  He  remains  in  England,  preaching  to  the  good  people  of  Lutter- 
worth. Sometimes  he  preaches  in  London,  at  the  preaching-place  erected 
in  the  streets.     He  has  great  crowds  to  hear  him  on  Sunday,  and  works 


^^  — . 


PREACHING-PLACE,    LONDON. 


hard  throuo-h  the  weeks,  translatino- 


JOHN    WICKLIF    TKANSLATING    THE    BIBLE. 


a  book  from  the  Latin  into  the  Eng- 
lish language — the  Bible.  The  only 
Bibles  in  England  are  in  the  libraries 
of  Oxford,  Cambridge,  abbeys  and 
monasteries, and  some  of  the  churches. 
They  are  all  in  Latin  or  Hebrew, 
written  on  parchment.  Scarcely  one 
person  in  ten  thousand  has  ever  read 
a  Bible.  Doctor  Wicklif  believes 
that  the  people  have  a  right  to  read 
it,  although  the  Pope  has  forbidden 
its  reading  by  any  except  the  priests, 
monks,  and  bishops,  and  other  prel- 
ates of  the  Church.  But  into  what 
dialect  shall  he  translate  it  ?  for  there 
is  no  uniform  language  in  England. 
In  the  Eastern  counties  —  the  East 
Midland  section,  as  it  is  called,  where 
the  Saxons  first  landed  and  obtained 
a  foothold  —  the  language  is  almost 
wholly  Saxon ;  in  the  Southern  coun- 
ties— all  along  tlie  South  shore,  where 


u 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


the  Normans  landecl-the  language  is  largely  Korman.  In  the  ^\  estern 
and  Northern  counties  are  other  dialects,  so  unlike  that  of  the  East  or 
South  that  a  man  from  the  old  town  of  Boston,  on  the  East  coast,  or  a 
man  from  Plymouth,  on  the  South  coast,  would 
hardly  be  able  to  make  himself  understood  by  a 
countryman  from  York  or  Lancaster. 

Doctor  Wicklif  selects  the  East  Midland— his 
own  native  dialect— which  is  spoken  by  a  major- 
ity of  the  people ;  besides,  it  is  strong,  vigorous, 
and  expressive.  Many  other  preachers  believe 
that  the  people  have  a  right  to  read  the  Bible, 
and  clerks  are  set  to  work  making  copies  of 
the  translation,  which  are  placed  on  desks  in  the 
churches,  and  chained,  so  that  no  one  can  take 
them  aw^ay. 

The  people  listen  to  the  reading  with  wonder 
;\      and  delight.      They  begin   to  think;   and  when 
__.        _    C     men  begin  to  think,  they  take  a  step  toward  f ree- 
^^^^^^fi~       dom.     They  see  that  the  Bible  gives  them  rights 
Z^.^Z  A  DESK     which  hitherto  have  been  denied  them-the  right 

BIBLE    CHAINED    TO    A    DESK.  oil  i.        i- 

to  read,  to  acquire  knowledge.  Schools  are  stait- 
ed  Men  and  women,  who  till  now  have  not  known  a  letter  of  the  alpha- 
bet learn  to  read  :  children  teach  their  parents.  It  is  the  beginning  of 
a  new  life-a  new  order  of  things  in  the  community-the  beginning  of 

liberty.  , 

One  of  Doctor  Wicklif  s  friends  is  Geoffrey  Chaucer,  a  poet,  who  helps 
on  the  cause  of  freedom  mightily  in  another  way.  He  is  a  learned  man, 
and  has  been  to  Genoa  and  Florence  on  an  embassy  for  the  king,  and  has 
made  the  acquaintance  of  many  renowned  men.  He  is  a  short,  thick-set 
man  with  a  pleasant  countenance,  and  laughing  eyes.  He  is  witty  and 
humorous.  The  king  thinks  so  much  of  him  that  he  directs  his  butler  to 
send  the  poet  a  pipe  of  his  best  wine  every  year.  The  Princess  of  Wales 
(Anne  from  Bohemia)  is  pleased  to  call  him  her  friend,  and  the  poet  dedi- 
cates a  poem  to  her,  entitled  "  The  Legend  of  a  Good  Woman."  He  sets 
himself  also  to  write  some  stories  in  verse,  which  he  calls  "  The  Canter- 
bury Tales;"  but  while  he  is  writing  them,  let  us  see  what  is  going  on  m 

England.  , 

In  1377,  Richard  II.  is  made  king.  The  barons  complain  to  Inm  tnat 
the  villains'— the  people  who  owe  them  service  — do  not  give  it;  that 
they  are  banding  themselves  to  throw  off  the  service  altogether,  claim- 


THE   MAN   WHO   PREACHED   AFTER   HE   WAS   DEAD. 


45 


ing  that  freedom  is  their  right.  Doctor  Wicklif's  books  and  preaching 
have  set  them  to  thinking,  and  preachers  are  going  here  and  there  tell- 
ing the  people  that  the  barons  have  no  claim  npon  them.  One  of  the 
agitators  is  a  ^- ''  w  named  John  Bull,  who  sings  sarcastic  ballads.  In 
one  of  them  he  rehearses  this  couplet : 

"  When  Adam  delved  and  Eve  span, 
Who  was  then  tlie  gentleman  ?" 

The  people  ask  the  question  over  and  over,  and  make  up  their  minds  that 
thev,  as  well  as  the  men  who  live  in  castles,  have  some  natural  rights. 

One  day  a  baron  arrests  a  bm-gher,  and  imprisons  him  in  Kochester 
Castle,  claiming  that  he  is  his  slave,  whereupon  the  people  seize  their  arms, 
surround  the  castle,  and  set  the  prisoner  at  liberty. 

Every  individual  in  the  kingdom  is  taxed — every  child,  every  man  and 
woman.     A  child  must  pay  so  much,  a  grown  person  more.     A  tax-col- 


lector comes  to  John  Walter's  house.  Walter  earns  a  living  by  laying 
tiles  on  the  roofs  of  houses.  The  people  call  him  the  Tiler,  or  Tyler,  and 
instead  of  pronouncing  his  full  name— John  Walter,  the  tiler— call  him 
Wat  Tyler.     He  has  a  daughter,  just  growing  to  womanhood, 

"  She  must  pay  a  full  tax,"  says  the  collector. 

"  No  ;  she  is  not  a  woman  yet,"  the  mother  replies. 


46 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


"  I'll  soon  find  out  whether  she  is  a  woman  or  not,"  the  tax-collector 
answers,  and  rudely  insults  the  girl. 

"  Help !  help  !"  The  mother  shouts  the  words,  and  her  husband  comes 
in  with  a  club. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  insulting  my  daughter  ?" 

The  collector  is  a  ruffian ;  having  insulted  the  daughter,  he  lifts  his 
hand  to   give   the  father  a  blow,  when   down   comes   the   cudgel  upon 


CANTERBURY. 


the  fellow's  head,  crashing  the  skull,  and  scattering  his  brains  about  the 
room.  The  news  spreads.  The  people  join  the  Tyler.  They  are  ready 
for  insurrection.     They  seize  their  swords,  bows  and  arrows,  and  clubs. 

"  Let  us  march  to  London  and  see  the  king,"  they  shout.  From  all  the 
towns  of  Kent  they  come,  one  hundred  thousand  or  more.  They  attack 
the  houses  of  the  knights,  lords,  and  nol)les.  They  swarm  into  Canterbury, 
and  pillage  the  palace  of  the  archbishop,  who  lives  in  great  state,  and  to 
whom  a  large  portion  of  the  taxes  are  paid.  There  is  great  excitement  in 
London.  The  young  king,  his  mother,  and  many  of  the  nobles  take  refuge 
in  the  Tower,  for  the  news  has  reached  them  that  the  insurgents  are  arrest- 
ing all  the  liigh-born  men  and  women  they  can  find.  They  seize  Sir  John 
Newton,  threaten  him  with  death  if  he  will  not  do  as  they  command,  and 
send  him  to  the  king,  desiring  Richard  to  meet  them  at  Blackheath,  just 
out  of  London.     The  kin"::  is  brave.     He  will  gro  and  see  them.     He  leaves 


THE   I\IAN  WHO   PREACHED   AETER   HE   WAS   DEAD. 


47 


the  Tower  in  his  barge,  with  the  barons.  The  boatmen  pnll  at  the  oars, 
and  in  a  short  tini^  they  reacli  the  mnltitucle,  who,  upon  seeing  the  barge, 
set  up  a  great  s\ 

"  I  have  come  at  your  request.  Wliat  do  you  desire  ?"  tlie  king 
asks. 

Tliere  is  a  gi-eat  outcry — all  speaking  at  once ;  and  the  barons,  fearing 
an  archer  may  draw  his  bow  and  shoot  the  king,  advise  him  to  return  to 
the  Tower.  This  angers  the  crowd.  "  To  London  !  to  Loudon  !"  they 
shout ;  and  the  multitude,  barefooted,  bareheaded,  armed  with  clubs,  surge 
on  toward  Soutliwark.  They  ai-e  oli  the  south  side  of  the  river,  while  the 
largest  part  of  the  city  is  on  the  north  side,  and  there  is  only  one  bridge. 
The  citizens  raise  the  draw,  and  the  excited  rabble  cannot  cross  the 
Thames.  The  rich  merchants  of  London  own  beautiful  villas  on  the  south 
side,  and  the  hungry,  ragged,  excited  multitudes  ransack  the  houses,  de- 
stroying property,  and  committing  great  havoc.  The  people  of  London 
sympathize  with  the  people  of  _ 

Kent,  for  they,  too,  are  groan-  -  __ 

ing  under  the  taxes.  """*    --:~~ 

"  We    will    let    down    the  .- 

drawbridge,  and  permit  them      ^  "^ 

to  come  into  the  city.    We  will  __ 

show  them  that  w^e  are  their 
friends,  and  then  they  will  be 
quiet,"  the  Londoners  say  to 
each  other. 

The  drawbridge  is  lower- 
ed, and  the  great  black  crowd 
pours  across  the  bridge.  The 
people  give  bread  and  wine 
and  liquor,  which  excite  the 
insurrectionists  all  the  more. 
They  rush  to  the  Palace  of 
Savoy,  owned  b}^  the  Duke  of 
Lancaster,  bring  out  all  the 
furniture  —  the   tables,  chairs, 

the  silver  plate — heap  all  in  a  pile,  and  set  it  on  fire.  They  do  not  steal 
the  silver.  One  man  undertakes  to  secrete  a  silver  cup,  but  the  others 
pitch  him  upon  the  fire. 

"  We  are  here  in  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness,  not  as  thieves," 
they  say. 


THE    WESTGATE,    CANTERBURY. 


48 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


What  shall  the  king  do  ?  He  cannot  fight  the  insurgents,  for  he  has 
only  four  thousand  troops.     This  is  what  his  councillors  advise  him : 

"  It  is  better  to  appease  them  by  making  a  show  of  granting  what  they 
desire  than  to  oppose  them  ;  for  if  you  oppose  them,  all  the  conniion  peo- 
ple of  England  will  join  them,  and  we  shall  be  swept  away." 

The  next  morning  the  king  meets  Wat  Tyler  and  some  of  the  leaders 
at  Mile  End,  in  a  meadow,  and  grants  what  they  desire.     He  sets  his  clerks 


SAVOY    PALACE. 


to  making  out  charters  for  the  towns,  abolishing  taxes,  and  granting  privi- 
leges never  before  enjoyed.  Most  of  the  people  are  satisfied,  and  return 
to  their  homes; 'but  some,  still  thirsting  for  revenge  against  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbur}',  make  their  way  to  the  Tower,  seize  the  archbishop 
and  some  of  the  priests,  drag  them  into  the  Tower  yard,  and  chop  off  their 
heads,  which  they  place  upon  poles,  and  carry  them,  dripping  with  blood, 
through  the  streets. 

Itichard  hears  of  what  is  going  on,  mounts  his  horse,  and  rides  out  to 
meet  the  rioters.  He  rides  boldly  up  to  ^yat  Tyler,  who  draws  a  knife  ; 
but  before  he  can  use  it,  the  Mayor  of  London  whips  out  his  sword  and 
runs  it  through  Wat's  body,  and  the  rioter  tumbles  to  the  ground.  Wat's 
followei's  rush  up,  but  Richard  looks  them  calmly  in  the  face. 

"  Come,  my  friends,  I  will  be  your  leader,"  he  says. 


THE  MAN  WHO  PREACHED  AFTER  HE  WAS  DEAD. 


49 


It  is  a  brave  s^  ;h  for  a  boy  of  fifteen  to  make;  but  the  men  of  Kent 
like  Iticliard's  pluck,  and  lower  their  spears.  The  king's  troops  come  gal- 
loping upon  the  field,  ready  to  draw  their  swords. 

"  Yon  ninst  not  harm  them.  Let  them  go  peacefully  to  their  homes," 
says  Eichard ;  and  the  people,  feeling  that  the  young  king  is  their  friend, 
return  to  their  homes. 

But  the  barons  are  determined  that  the  people  shall  not  have  their 
freedom.  The  bishops  are  angry  over  the  death  of  the  archbishop,  and 
demand  that  punishment  shall  be  meted  out,  not  to  those  who  were  in- 
strumental in  putting  him  to  death,  but  upon  all  the  people — in  the  revok- 
ing of  the  charters  which  Richard  has  just  granted.  What  can  the  boy 
do  ?  Are  not  the  barons,  lords,  bishops,  and  great  men  wiser  than  him- 
self ?  lie  cannot  stand  alone  against  them  ;  he  complies  with  their  de- 
mands, but  recommends  Parliament  to  give  the  people  their  freedom. 

"  Give  them  their  freedom  !"  the  barons  exclaim.     "Never  will  we  be 
deprived  of  the  service  which  they 
owe  us." 

"  Doctor  Wicklif's  pernicious 
doctrines  are  at  the  bottom  of  all 
this,"  the  bishops,  the  monks,  and 
friars  exclaim. 

The  Lords  pass  a  law,  which  the 
bishops  think  will  put  an  end  to  the 
mischief,  in  which  the  sheriffs  are 
ordered  to  put  all  heretics  in  prison 
until  they  justify  themselves  before 
the  bishops.  The  only  appeal  from 
the  Bishops'  Court  is  to  the  Pope, 
who  is  sewing  men  up  in  sacks  and 
casting  them  into  the  sea.  The 
Commons  will  not  consent  to  such 
a  law,  and  so  the  Magna  Cliarta  be- 
gins to  protect  the  people. 

The  Pope  sells  a  fat  oflSce  to  an 
Italian.  The  office  is  an  abbot's 
position  in  the  bishopric  of  Wells; 
but  the  bishop  of  that  diocese  does 
not  relish  it,  nor  do  the  other  bish- 
ops, for  the  next  ship  may  bring  other  Italian  vagabonds  to  plunder  the 
people.     They  join  in  declaring  that  the  right  of  appointment  belongs  to 


50 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


the  king,  and  not  to  the  Pope,  wliereupon  tlie  Pontiff,  who  pitches  of- 
fending priests  into  the  sea,  excommunicates  them  ;  that  is,  he  tln-eat- 
eiis  to  slmt  them  out  of  heaven  if  they  do  not  ask  his  pardon.  Perhaps 
tlie  bishops  think  that  a  man  who  tortures  cardinals  to  death  because 
lie  suspects  that  they  are  working  against  him,  who  sells  offices  in  the 
Chnrch  to  the  highest  bidder,  even  though  he  be  Pope,  may  not,  after 
all,  hold  the  keys  of  heaven,  for  they  persuade  Parliament  to  pass  this 
law  : 

'"'•  All  jpersouH  who  recognize  the  Pope  at  Rome  as  being  in  autfiority 
siqjerioi'  to  the  king  shall  forfeit  tJieir  lands  and  all  their  projjerty,  and 
have  no  protection  from  the  kingT 

The  bishops  are  members  of  Parliament,  and  by  obtaining  the  passage 
of  such  a  law  array  the  nation  on  their  side.     Little  do  they  dream  of 


THE    PILGRIMS    STARTING    FROM    THE    TABARD    TAVERN. 


what  will  come  from  this  action  of  theii-s.  They  do  not  mistrust  that 
when  a  century  has  rolled  away,  a  king,  Henry  VIIL,  will  pick  up  this 
act,  and  use  it  as  a  sword  against  the  Pope,  and  strike  a  blow  which 
will  split  the  Church  in  twain.  We  shall  see  by -and -by  how  it  came 
abont. 

The  people  ai-e  fast  becoming  heretics,  or  Lollards,  as  the  monks  and 
friars  call  them — comparing  them  to  tares,  or  loliwn,  in  a  field  of  wheat. 
The  poet  Geoffrey  Chaucer  is  sowing  tares  very  effectively  in  a  quiet  way. 
lie  has  completed  his  story  in  verse,  and  the  people  are  reading  it.     He 


THE   MAN   WHO   PREACHED   AFTER   HE   WAS   DEAD. 


51 


give  it  grace  and  beauty.  It  describes  a  party  of  pilgrims  who  meet  at 
the  Tabard  Tavern,  in  London,  on  their  way  to  the  shrine  of  Tliomas 
Becket,in  Canterbury  Cathe- 
dral, Becket  was  a  priebt,  ;  .iij 
arrogant,  self-willed,  who  le-  ^  ^' "  ' 
fused  to  acknowledge  the  su- 
perior authority  of  the  king, 
Henry  II.,  and  who  was  put 
to  death  by  some  of  the 
king's  friends  ;  but  the  Pope 
humbled  the  monarch,  who 
was  obliged  to  kneel  naked 
before  Becket's  tomb,  while 
the  monks  lashed  his  bare 
back  with  a  bundle  of  stick**. 
lie  found  that  the  Pope  m  a& 
more  powerful  than  him 
self. 

To  make  a  pilgrimage  to 
somebody's  tomb,  to  say  Pa- 
ter-nosters  and  Ave-Marias 
over  the  bones  of  a  dead 
monk  or  nun,  is  supposed  to 
be  a  meritorious  act,  and  so 
all  over  England — over  Eu- 
lope — men  and  women  are 
making  pilgrimages.  Among  the  pilgrims  who  travel  from  London  to 
Canterbury  are  a  priest,  a  monk,  a  friar,  a  pardoner,  and  a  summoner. 
The  pardoner  has  pardons  for  sale ;  the  summoner  is  the  sheriff,  who 
brings  offenders  before  the  Bishops'  Court.  Although  the  monks  and 
friars  have  vowed  to  wear  coarse  clothes  and  live  on  mean  fare,  none 
are  better  dressed  than  they,  none  live  so  luxuriously.  The  poet  is  one 
of  the  pilgrims,  and  describes  his  fellow-travellers  : 

"A  monk  there  was  of  skill  and  mastery  proud, 
A  manly  man — to  be  an  abbot  able — 
And  many  a  noble  horse  had  he  in  stable. 
I  saw  his  large  sleeves  trimmed  above  the  hand 
With  fur — the  finest  in  the  land. 
His  head  was  bald,  and  shone  like  polished  glass, 
And  so  his  face,  as  it  had  been  anoint, 
Wiiile  lie  was  very  fat  and  in  good  point. 


rili;    .MONKS    HIMnLING    THE 


(From  an  Old  Print.) 


52 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Shining  his  boots ;    his  horse  right  prond  to  see, 
A  prelate  proud,  majestic,  grand  was  he ; 
He  was  not  pale,  as  a  poor  pining  ghost ; 
A  fat  goose  loved  he  best  of  any  roast. 


A  friar  there  was,  a  wanton  and  a  merry. 

Licensed  to  beg,  a  wondrous  solemn  man, 

His  pockets  large — he  stuffed  them  full  of  knives, 

And  pins,  or  presents  meant  for  handsome  wives. 

The  biggest  beggar  he  among  the  brothers. 

He  took  a  certain  district  as  his  grant, 

Nor  would  he  let  another  come  within  his  haunt. 


CHAUCER  S    MONnjIENT. 

"A  summoner  there  was,  riding  on  apace. 
Who  had  a  fire-red  cherubim's  large  face  ; 
Pimpled  and  wrinkled  were  his  flabby  cheeks, 
Garlic  he  much  loved,  onions  too,  and  leeks. 
Strong  wine  he  loved  to  drink — as  red  as  blood  ; 
Then  would  he  shout  and  jest  as  he  were  mad. 
Oft  down  his  throat  large  draughts  he  poured  ; 
Tiien,  save  in  Latin,  he  would  not  speak  a  word. 
Some  sentences  he  knew — some  two  or  three 
Which  he  had  gathered  out  of  some  degree. 
No  wonder,  for  he  heard  it  all  the  day ; 
And  surely,  as  you  know,  a  popinjay 
Can  call  out  '  Wat .''  as  well  as  any  pope. 


THE   MAN   WHO   PREACHED   AFTER   HE   WAS   DEAD. 


53 


"You  could  not  such  another  pardoner  trace. 
For  in  his  pack  he  had  a  pillow-case, 
Which,  as  he  said,  was  once  the  Virgin's  veil. 
He  also  had  a  fragment  of  the  sail 
St.  Peter  had  when,  as  his  heart  misgave  him 
Upon  the  sea,  he  sought  the  Lord  to  save  iiim. 
He  had  a  golden  cross — one  set  with  precious  stones ; 
And  in  a  case — what  carried  he  ?      Pig"s  bones ! 
He,  in  a  single  day,  more  money  got 
Than  the  poor  parson  in  a  year,  I  wot. 
And  thus  with  flattery,  feints,  and  knavish  japes 
He  made  the  parson  and  the  people  apes." 

So  the  i)oet  holds  these  pilgrims  up  to  ridicule.  The  monks  and  friars 
are  very  angry,  and  lay  a  plan  to  kill  Chaucer,  who  is  obliged  to  flee  to 
Holland,  the  land  of  the  windmills ;  but,  after  a  time,  he  returns  to  find 
that  the  people  are  fast  becoming  Lollards.  The  reading  of  the  Bible  in 
English  has  set  the  people  to  thinking  about  the  monks,  while  the  "Canter- 
bury Tales"  have  set  the  community  to  laughing  at  them.     From  thinking 


>    ,1 


^% 


THE    LAND    OF    THE    WINDMILLS. 


and  langliing  the  people  begin  to  act,  refusing  to  give  to  the  beggars,  who 
are  so  angry  with  the  poet  that  he  has  to  flee  a  second  time  ;  but  he  re- 
turns once  more  to  London,  where  he  dies  a  peaceful  death  in  the  year 
1400,  having  done  a  great  deal  to  advance  human  freedom. 

When  Doctor  Wicklif  selected  the  Midland  dialect  for  his  translation 
of  the  Bible,  and  when  Geoffrey  Chaucer  used  it  in  writing  his  Canterbuiy 


54 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Stories,  they  little  knew  that  they  were  laying  the  foundations,  as  it  were, 
of  the  strongest  and  most  vigorous  language  ever  used  by  human  beings 
for  the  expression  of  their  thoughts ;  but  it  has  become  the  English  lan- 
guage of  the  nineteenth  century  —  the  one  aggi-essive  language  of  the 
world — the  language  of  Liberty. 

It  was  in  13s5  that  Doctor  Wicklif  died.  The  grass  grows  over  his 
grave.  Forty-one  years  pass,  pilgrims  come  fi-om  afar  to  visit  the  spot 
where  he  is  buried ;  they  break  off  pieces  of  his  tombstone,  and  carry  them 
away  as  relics.  The  monks  and  friars  will  have  no  more  of  that.  They 
will  not  have  a  man  who  has  been  dead  nearly  half  a  century  keep  on 
preaching  if  they  can  prevent  it, for  tlie  doctor  has  a  great  following;  half 
of  England,  and  nearly  all  of  Bohemia,  liave  accepted  his  teachings.  The 
Great  Council  of  Constance,  which  we  sliall  read  about  in  the  next  chap- 
ter, has  ordered  that  the  doctor's  bones  shall  be  dug  up  and  burned;  and 
the  monks,  as  we  liave  seen,  execute  the  order.  They  cast  the  ashes  into 
the  river,  and  the  river  bears  them  to  the  sea.  Tliey  have  got  rid  of 
Doctor  Wicklif.     Have  they  ?     Not  quite. 


THE   FlliE   THAT   WAS   KINDLED    IN   BOHEMIA. 


55 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   FIRE   THAT  WAS    KINDLED   IN   BOHEMIA. 

THE  young  man  who  had  studied  at  Ileidellierg,  Cologne,  and  Paris, 
Professor  Faulfash,  of  Bohemia,  who  came  to  England  with  the 
Princess  Anne  when  she  came  to  marry  Richard  II.,  and  who  heard 
Doctor  "Wicklif,  and  wlio  cari-ied  some  of  the  doctor's  books  to  Bohemia, 


ECEIVING    ABSOLUTION. 


is  a  lecturer  in  the  University  at  Prague.  He  lias  discovered  that  the 
monks  and  friars  of  Bohemia  are  as  lazy  and  shameless  as  those  of  Eng- 
land. He  preaches  against  them.  He  wants  a  reformation  in  the  Church. 
He  preaches  that  men  and  women,  priests  and  bishops — all  must  lead  pure 


56  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

lives.  He  believes  that  men  and  women  should  confess  their  sins  to  God, 
and  not  to  a  priest ;  that  forgiveness  for  sin  means  something  more  than 
words  spoken  bj  the  priests;  that  absolution  is  something  more  than  kneel- 
ino"  before  a  confessor's  box,  and  having  a  few  drops  of  holy-water  sprin- 
kled on  the  head,  from  a  sponge  tied  upon  the  end  of  a  rod,  in  the  hands 


JDINS    OF    tup:    papal    palace    at    AVIGNON. 


of  the  priest.  He  does  not  believe  that  sins  can  be  forgiven,  nor  that 
blessings  can  be  conferred  by  any  such  mummery. 

Tiie  priests  denounce  his  preaching  as  blasphemous.  "  Professor  Faul- 
fash  is  a  heretic,"  they  say. 

It  is  the  one  word — more  terrible  than  all  others — but  the  professor  is 
not  disturbed  by  it.     Instead  of  becoming  silent,  he  grows  more  bold. 

One  of  the  priests  who  cr}^  out  against  him  is  the  queen's  confessoi', 
a  man — John  IIuss — who  undertakes  to  prove  that  such  doctrines  are  he- 
retical. He  does  not  succeed  very  well,  for  as  he  studies  the  question  he 
discovers  that  the  monks  and  friars  are  leading  shameful  lives.  More 
than  that,  he  begins  to  read  Doctor  Wicklif's  books,  and  the  more  he  reads, 
the  more  he  sees  that  Professor  Faulfasli  and  Doctor  Wicklif  are  in  the 
right,  and  himself,  the  monks  and  friars,  the  bishops  and  the  Pope,  in  the 
wrong.  He  sees  that  the  people  ought  to  be  permitted  to  read  the  Bible. 
He  preaches  as  he  thinks.  He  is  eloquent,  learned,  sincere,  and  earnest, 
and  people  flock  in  crowds  to  hear  him.     The  monks  and  fj-iars  hasten 


THE   FIRE   THAT   WAS   KINDLED   IN   BOHEMIA. 


57 


to  Arcliblsliop  Sbinco  witli  a  wofnl  story — tliat  the  queen's  confessor  is 
a  heretic. 

The  arclibishop  is  an  ignorant  man.  Archbishops  and  bishops  are  not 
always  appointed  because  they  are  learned  or  eloquent,  but  for  other  rea- 
sons. The  people  call  the  archbishop  a  dunce,  and  say  he  is  an  ABC 
archbishop,  indicating  tliat  he  knows  little  more  than  the  alphabet.  The 
archbishop  determines  that  the  young  priest,  although  he  is  confessor  to 
the  empress,  shall  be  disciplined  ;  but  the  king  protects  him,  and  appoints 
hhn  elector  of  the  University  of  Prague. 

The  archbishop,  in  great  wrath  at  being  thus  interfered  with,  sends 
word  to  the  Pope  at  Kome,  for  these  are  the  days  when  the  Church  has 
two  heads  —  one  at  Pome,  one  at  Avignon.  The  Pope  sends  back  word 
that  the  rebellious  priest  must  not  be  })ermitted  to  go  on.  Especially  is 
he  commanded  not  to  preach  in  a 
language  which  the  people  can  un- 
derstand ;  he  may  preach  in  Latin, 
but  not  in  Bohemian. 

It  is  not  so  easy  to  stop  John 
IIuss,  however,  for  the  king  is  his 
friend,  and  cares  not  for  priest 
or  Pope.  The  archbishop  contents 
himself  with  gathering  up  all  the 
books  of  Doctor  Wicklif  that  he 
can  lay  his  hands  upon  which  have 
been  translated  into  the  Bohemian 
language — all  that  Pi'ofessor  Faul- 
fash  and  John  IIuss  have  written — 
and  burning  them.  If  the  books 
are  burned,  that  m- ill  stop  the  spread 
of  heresy,  the  archbisliop  imagines. 
The  king  compels  the  arclibishop 
to  pay  for  the  books.  This  in  turn 
makes  the  Pope  angry,  and  he  is- 
sues orders  to  the  archbishop  to 
stop  all  preaching  in  Prague  —  to 
inform  the  people  that  they  can  no  longer  have  absolution  granted  them 
by  the  priests.  The  Pope  will  let  the  people  know  that  he  is  supreme. 
The  king,  however,  is  not  disturbed  by  the  order,  but  directs  the  priests 
to  go  on  with  their  pi'eaching.  The  action  of  the  king  emboldens  Pro- 
fessor Faulfash  and  John  IIuss,  who  send  letters  to  the  mavors  of  cities  all 


THE    POPE    ON    HIS    THRONE. 


58 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


tlirongli  Bohemia  to  resist  the  demands  of  a  corrupt  and  wiched  pi-iest- 
liood.  This  makes  the  Pope  exceedingly  angry,  and  he  orders  the  two 
men  to  appear  at  Rome  and  give  an  account  of  their  doings;  but  they  do 
not  obey,  for  they  know  that  tliere  is  a  strong  prison  in  Rome  for  such 
heretics  as  they — tlie  Castle  of  St.  Angelo. 

Siijismund  is  Emperor  of  Germany.  He  wants  a  council  of  the  car- 
dinals and  other  prelates  of  the  Church  called  to  see  if  the  Church  cannot 
be  united  under  one  Pope.  The  two  heads  are  tearing  each  otlier  fear- 
fully. When  the  cardinals  meet  in  council,  they  double  up  their  fists, 
take  one  another  by  the  throat,  and  have  just  such  rows  as  the  common 
people  indulge  in  upon  the  streets  and  in  the  beer-shops. 

The  popes  have  stirred  up  wars,  and  armies  are  marching,  and  battles 
are  fought,  for  no  one  knows  what.     The  Emperor  of  Germany  desires 


THE   FIRE   THAT  WAS   KINDLED   IN  BOHEMIA, 


59 


a  settlement  of  the  troubles,  and  throngh  his  influence  a  great  council 
assembles  in  the  old  city  of  Constance,  in  Switzei'land,  where  all  questions 
in  dispute  are  to  be  discussed. 

Never  before  was  there  such  a  gathering.  The  emperor  comes  in 
great  state.  The  Pope  of  Rome  is  there,  but  not  in  state,  for  lie  is  fear- 
ful that  tlie  council  may  depose  him.  There  are  seven  patriarchs,  twenty 
archbishops,  twenty  cardinals  in  their  red  cloaks,  twenty-six  princes,  nine- 
ty-one bishops,  one  hundred  and  forty  counts,  hundreds  of  doctors  of  di- 
vinity, and  many  priests — four  thousand  or  more  in  all.  Multitudes  of 
people  come,  fllling  the  old  town  to  overflowing,  and  making  the  dull 
streets  alive  as  never  before.  Peddlers,  hucksters,  tricksters,  mountebanks, 
charlatans,  tramps,  monks,  friars,  beggars — all  flock  to  Constance. 

The  princes  and  counts  have  their  wire-pullers  to  influence  tlie  cardi- 
nals and  bishops.  All  are  hoping  to  make  something  out  of  the  council — 
to  gain  power,  or  money,  or  position.  The  council  sits  month  after  month, 
to  the  great  profit  of  all  the  shopkeepers  and  grocers  in  the  town. 

During  these  months  while  the  council  is  in  session,  one  man  who 
came  to  attend  it,  instead  of  taking  part  in  its  deliberations,  is  in  prison — 
Jolni  IIuss.     He  came  of  his  own  free-will— because  the  emperor  wished 


^liiA 


THE    HOLY    MKN    SETTLING    A    DISPUTE. 


60 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


"•N» 


TllK    OLD    TOWN. 


]iim  to  attend.  lie  might  liave  stayed  away,  but  tlie  emperor  sent  him  a 
paper  promising  him  protection — that  he  should  be  at  liberty  to  come  and 
go  without  molestation — that  no  harm  should  come  to  him  while  in  Con- 
stance, and  yet  he  is  in  prison.  All  throngh  the  months  while  the  cardi- 
nals and  prelates  have  been  there — 
marching  in  procession  to  and  from 
the  council  —  living  riotously,  and 
some  of  them  scandalously,  the  man 
who  has  been  preaching  that  they 
sliould  lead  pure  lives,  and  that  the 
people  have  the  right  to  confess  their 
sins  to  God,  has  been  languishing  in 
JOHN  nus.s  IN  PKisoK.  ^^^  .^^^^      jj^^^^  happened  it,  when  he 

had  the  emperor's  promise  written  out  on  parchment  ?     Because  the  Pope 
claims  to  be  superior  to  the  emperor.      "77e  has  the  right  of  dejposing 


THE   FIRE   THAT   WAS   KINDLED   IN   BOHEMIA.  61 

em.perors^''  If  lie  has  the  right  of  deposing  emperors,  then  he  has  the 
right  to  disregard  the  promise  which  the  emperor  has  made  to  John  Hnss. 
No  faith  is  to  he  hejpt  with  heretics.  So,  finding  John  liuss  in  their 
power,  the  Pope  and  cardinals  have  thrust  him  into  a  dungeon,  and  now 
he  is  to  pay  the  penalty  for  being  a  heretic. 

It  is  July  6th,  1415.  All  Constance  is  astir.  The  people  from  the 
country  flock  into  the  town,  for  the  heretic  is  to  be  roasted  to  deatli,  and 
they  must  be  early  on  the  ground  to  see  the  procession  which  will  escort 
the  fellow  from  the  prison  to  the  cathedral.  It  comes,  the  cross-bearer  at 
the  head,  carrying  a  gilded  crucifix.  Then  comes  the  Bishop  of  Riga  in  his 
gorgeous  robes;  then  a  company  of  soldiers  armed  with  swords  and  lances, 
guarding  the  heretic,  so  that  he  shall  not  escape.  The  streets  are  thronged 
with  people.  The  women  look  down  from  the  quaint  old  windows  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  wicked  man,  as  they  suppose  him  to  be.  They  see 
a  man  forty  years  of  age.  The  procession  winds  through  the  streets,  and 
enters  a  great  hall.  The  emperor  is  there,  wearing  his  golden  crown,  and 
seated  in  a  royal  chair.  At  his  right  hand  stands  the  Duke  of  Bavaria, 
holding  a  cross ;  at  his  left  hand  is  the  governor  of  the  Castle  of  Nurem- 
berg, with  a  drawn  sword.  Around  are  cardinals  and  archbishops,  bishops, 
priests,  monks,  and  friars,  and  a  great  multitude  of  people. 

It  is  not  to  the  emperor  that  all  eyes  are  turned  to-day,  but  to  John 
Huss,  who  ascends  the  platform,  and  mounts  a  table,  where  all  can  see 
him.  He  does  not  return  the  gaze,  but  kneels,  and  clasps  his  hands,  and 
looks  up  to  Heaven.  The  soldiers  file  away ;  the  bishops,  cardinals,  and 
prelates  take  their  seats  in  the  council.  Bishop  Landinus  ascends  the 
pulpit  to  preach  a  sermon  from  the  text,  "  Sliall  we  continue  in  sin  ?" 
Heresy,  he  says,  is  a  great  sin — one  of  the  greatest  a  man  can  commit.  It 
destroys  the  Church.  It  is  right  for  the  secular  magistrate  to  destroy  those 
with  wliom  it  originates.  Turning  to  the  emperor,  the  bishop  thus  ad- 
dresses him  : 

"  It  will  be  a  just  act,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  3-our  Imperial  Majest}-, 
most  invincible  Emperor,  to  execute  this  stiff-necked  heretic,  since  he  is 
in  our  hands,  and  thus  shall  your  Majesty  attain  an  immortal  name,  w'ith 
old  and  young,  so  long  as  the  world  shall  stand,  for  performing  a  deed  so 
glorious  and  so  pleasing  to  God." 

The  bishop  comes  down  from  the  pulpit,  and  orator  Ilenricus  takes 
his  place. 

"  Yon  are  to  weigh  this  matter  well,"  he  says  to  the  council.  "  You 
are  not  to  rest  till  you  have  burned  such  a  sturdy  heretic — one  so  stiff- 
necked  in  his  damnable  error." 


62 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Then  a  bishop  reads  the  charge  against  IIuss. 

"Yon  have  disobeyed  the  Archbishop  of  Prague.  You  teach  that 
there  is  a  holy  catholic  church  other  than  that  of  which  the  Pope  is  the 

liead a  community  of  all  the  faithful  ordained  of  God  to  eternal  life — 

which  is  heretical." 

iffliliiiif 


1  fmiMim 

11  ¥  : 

'■     "?=:: 

,^ 

ir 

i^^ 

iiiii 

I'l ' 

THli    COUNCIL. 


"  I  do  not  doubt,"  IIuss  replies,  "  that  there  is  a  holy  Christian  church 
which  is  a  community  of  the  elect,  botli  in  this  and  in  the  other  world." 

"  Hold  your  tongue !  After  we  get  through,  you  may  answei-,"  says 
Cardinal  Von  Caminerach. 

"  I  shall  not  be  able  to  remember  all  the  charges." 


"  Sih 


The  Archbishop  of  Florence  shouts  it. 


John  IIuss  drops  upon  his  knees,  and  lifts  his  hands  toward  Heaven. 
If  they  will  not  hear  him,  there  is  One  above  who  will. 


THE   FIRE   THAT  WAS-  KINDLED   IN  BOHEMIA.  63 

"  O  God,  I  conimend  my  cause  to  thee." 

The  reading  goes  on. 

"  He  has  taught  that  after  the  words  of  consecration  have  been  pro- 
nounced over  the  bread  it  is  still  natural  bread,  which  is  heretical." 

"  I  have  not  so  preached." 

"  Silence,  heretic  !" 

"  He  has  taught  that  a  priest  polluted  with  deadly  sins  cannot  ad- 
minister the  sacrament  of  the  altar,  which  is  heretical." 

"  I  still  say  that  every  act  of  a  priest  laden  with  deadly  sins  is  an 
abomination  in  the  sight  of  God." 

Ah  !  that  is  a  home-thrust.  Bishops,  archbishops,  caixlinals,  and  priests, 
who  are  living  with  Avomen  to  whom  they  have  not  been  married,  never 
will  forgive  the  heretic  for  saying  that. 

The  last  charge  is  read. 

"  He  has  contemned  the  Pope's  excommunication." 

"  I  have  not.  I  appealed  to  him — sent  messengers  to  plead  my  cause 
before  him,  who  were  thrown  into  prison.  I  came  to  this  council  of  my 
own  free-will,  with  a  safe-conduct  from  the  emperor." 

John  Huss  turns  toward  Sigismund,  and  gazes  caluily  and  steadily 
upon  him. 

"  I  came  in  the  full  confidence  that  no  violence  should  be  done  me, 
and  that  I  might  prove  my  innocence." 

The  emperor  grows  red  in  the  face,  for  he  knows  that  John  Huss 
came  of  his  free-will.  He  knows  that  the  safe-conduct  which  he  gave  has 
been  taken  away  from  him.  He  knows  that  ten  thousand  swoi'ds  would 
leap  from  their  scabbards,  and  a  thousand  spears  would  gleam  in  the  sun- 
light, in  Bohemia,  to  protect  the  man  who  is  gazing  so  calmly  in  his  face. 
With  shame  and  confusion  he  sits  there  with  downcast  eyes.  Everybody 
can  see  the  reddening  of  his  cheeks,  Huss  has  had  no  trial ;  but  an  old 
bishop  stands  up  and  reads  his  sentence.  He  is  to  be  burned  to  death. 
Once  more  the  prisoner  kneels  and  prays : 

"  Lord  God,  pardon  my  enemies.  Thou  knowest  that  I  have  been 
falsely  accused,  and  unfairly  sentenced.  I  pray  thee,  in  thine  unspeaka- 
ble mercy,  not  to  lay  it  to  their  charge." 

The  bishops  smile  scornfully.  The  heretic  is  praying  God  to  forgive 
them!  As  if  they  had  done,  or  could  do,  anything  wrong!  As  if  his 
prayers  were  of  any  account !  They  degrade  him  from  the  priesthood. 
A  bishop's  robe  is  thrown  over  his  shoulders.     This  in  derision. 

"  Confess  your  errors,  and  retract  them,  before  it  is  too  late,"  says  one 
of  the  archbishops. 


64 


THE   STOllY   OF  LIBERTY. 


1 

ij 

1           1    l!    1                  tT' 

!r  '''  111 

i 

Till!:    PROCESSION. 


He  makes  no  reply  to  tliein,  bnt  turns  to  tlie  people  :  ^    ,      , ,  , 

"  T^e  Wshops  want  n,e  to  retract ;  but  if  I  were  to  do  so,  I  should  be 

a  liar  before  God."  _ 

"  Silence,  you  stiff-necked  and  wicked  heretic  ! 
They  place  a  chalice  in  his  hands,  and  then  take  it  away. 


I 


THE   FIRE  THAT  WAS   KINDLED   IN   BOHEMIA.  65 

"  O  tliou  cursed  Judas  !  we  take  from  thee  this  chalice,  in  which  tlie 
blood  of  Clirist  is  offered  for  the  remission  of  sins,"  they  say. 

There  is  no  blanching  of  his  cheeks. 

"  Contiding  in  my  God  and  Saviour,  I  indulge  the  hope  that  he  will 
not  take  from  me  the  cup  of  salvation,  and  I  trust  that  I  shall  drink  of  it 
this  day  in  his  kingdom,"  IIuss  replies. 

Greater  than  emperor,  pope,  or  archbishop  is  John  IIuss,  standing  there 
beneath  the  vaulted  roof  of  the  old  hall.  None  so  calm,  so  quiet,  so  peace- 
ful of  heart,  as  he — soon  to  be  one  of  Liberty's  great  sons.  None  so  shame- 
faced, so  insignificant,  as  Sigismund,  Emperor  of  Germany.  One  word 
from  his  lips  would  set  the  prisoner  free ;  but  his  craven  heart  has  yielded 
to  the  demand  of  those  who  ai-e  thirsting  for  the  blood  of  IIuss.  They 
have  made  him  believe  that  he  is  not  obliged  to  keep  faith  with  a  heretic ; 
yet  he  knows  that  he  is  committing  an  act  which,  ever  as  he  recalls  it,  will 
redden  his  cheeks  with  shame. 

"  Let  him  be  accursed  of  God  and  man  eternally." 

In  all  the  assembly  of  prelates  there  is  not  a  kindly  face,  no  look 
of  pity. 

"  I  am  willing  thus  to  suffer  for  the  truth  in  the  name  of  Christ." 

They  place  a  paper  cap  upon  his  head — a  mock  crown — with  figures 
of  devils  upon  it,  and  this  inscription  : 


THIS     IS     A     HERETIC." 


"  Give  him  over  to  the  beadle."  The  emperor  speaks  the  words, 
which  one  day  will  come  back  to  trouble  him.  Sooner  or  later  retribu- 
tion follows  crime.  It  may  not  be  to-day  nor  to-morrow,  but  it  will  come ; 
and  this  emperor,  the  greatest  potentate  in  Europe,  will  see  his  empire 
drenched  in  blood,  towns  and  cities  in  flames,  and  the  land  a  desolation, 
for  uttering  those  words. 

Out  from  the  hall  moves  the  procession  once  more.  Out  through  the 
door  stream  the  people.  A  fire  is  burning  in  the  street,  and  the  priests  are 
heaping  upon  it  the  books  written  by  IIuss  and  by  Doctor  Wicklif. 

Huss  smiles  when  he  sees  the  parchment  volumes  curling  in  the  flames. 
They  can  burn  the  books,  but  truth  and  liberty  will  still  live.  He  walks 
with  firm  and  steady  steps.  None  of  all  the  thousands  around  are  so 
happy  as  he.     The  bishops  are  astonished. 

5 


06 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


BURNING    OF    JOHN    IIUSS. 


"  He  goes  as  if  on  his  way  to  a  banquet,"  says  Bishop  Silvias. 

Through  the  streets,  where  the  people  throng  the  sidewalks  and  look 
down  from  the  windows  of  the  lofty  buildings,  moves  the  procession— out 
to  the  place  where  he  is  to  be  burned.     What  is  it  that  Huss  is  saying  ? 

"  I  will  extol  thee,  O  Lord ;  for  thou  hast  lifted  me  up,  and  hast  not 


THE   FIRE   THAT   WAS   KINDLED   IN   BOHEMIA.  C7 

made  my  foes  to  rejoice  over  me."  It  is  the  thirtieth  Psahn.  They  can 
burn  his  body,  but  what  of  that?     Ilis  body  is  not  him. 

"Do  not  believe,"  he  says  to  the  people,  '"that  I  ha\e  tauglit  anytliing 
but  the  truth." 

No  treinbh'ng  of  the  lips — no  whitening  of  his  cheeks.  lie  is  going 
to  testify  to  the  truth.  Why  should  he  fear  ?  Truth  and  liberty  are 
eternal,  and  will  live  when  emperor  and  pope  have  passed  aNvay.  Truth 
makes  men  free,  and  it  will  be  glorious  to  die  for  freedom.  The  fagots 
are  piled  around  him  —  bundles  of  dry  sticks.  The  executioner  stands 
witli  his  torch. 

"  Renounce  your  error,"  shouts  the  Duke  of  Bavaria. 

"  I  have  taught  no  error.  The  trutlis  I  have  tauglit  I  will  seal  with 
my  blood." 

"  Burn  him." 

The  executioTier  holds  his  torch  to  the  fagots.  What  is  it  that  the 
people  hear  coming  from  that  sheet  of  flame  ? 

"  Glory  be  to  God  on  high,  and  on  eartli  peace,  good  will  toward  men." 

It  is  the  song  which  the  angels  sung  above  the  pastures  of  Bethlehem. 
And  this: 

"  We  praise  thee,  we  bless  thee,  we  worship  thee,  we  glorify  thee,  we 
give  thanks  to  thee  for  thy  great  glory."     It  is  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis. 

The  smoke  blinds  him,  the  flames  are  circling  above  his  head.  Yet 
the  voice  goes  on  : 

"  Thou  that  takest  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  have  mercy  on  me," 

The  flames  wrap  him  round,  his  head  falls  upon  his  breast.  The  fire 
does  its  work,  and  a  lieap  of  ashes  is  all  that  remains.  The  executioner 
gathers  them  up,  aud  casts  them  into  the  river.  The  winds  and  waves 
bear  them  away.  The  particles  sink  to  the  bottom,  or  are  wafted  on  to 
the  great  falls  at  Schaffhausen,  where  the  water  foams  over  the  granite 
ledges,  and  from  thence  are  borne  down  the  Ehine  to  the  sea,  as  Wicklif's 
dust  was  borne  on  the  current  of  the  Avon  and  Severn  to  the  ocean. 

The  priests  and  bishops  and  Pope  have  got  rid  of  John  Huss.  Have 
they  ?  By  no  means.  It  is  only  the  beginning  of  their  troubles  with  him, 
for  the  people  of  Bohemia  resent  his  death.  It  is  the  beginniug  of  a  ter- 
rible war,  which  lasts  many  years,  and  drenches  the  land  with  blood. 

The  cardinals  and  archbishops  do  not  forget  that  the  man  whom  they 
have  burned  to  death  was  made  a  heretic  through  reading  Doctor  Wick- 
lif's books.  The  doctor  has  been  dead  a  long  while,  so  they  cannot  burn 
him,  but  it  will  be  some  satisfaction  to  let  the  world  know  M'hat  they 
would  do  to  the  doctor  if  he  were  only  in  the  flesh,  and  they  issue  an 


6S 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


order  to  dig  up  the  bones  and  bum  them.     We  have  seen  how  it  was 
done. 

Though  the  monks  have  burned  John  IIuss  and  the  bones  of  Doctor 
Wicldif,  thej  have  not  put  a  stop  to  their  preaching.  Do  words  spoken 
in  behalf  of  truth,  justice,  and  liberty  ever  die?     We  shall  see  by-and-by, 


THli    FALLS    UF    SCIIAFIIIAUSKN. 


after  a  hundred  years  have  rolled  away,  how  a  poor  boy  —  so  poor  that 
he  will  wander  through  the  streets  and  sing  for  his  breakfast,  which  the 
kind-hearted  people  will  give  him — how  he  will  hear  Doctor  Wicklif  and 
John  IIuss  speaking  to  him  across  the  centuries.  We  shall  see  what  a 
mighty  work  he  will  do  for  truth  and  liberty. 


WHAT  LAURENCE   COSTER  AND   JOHN   GUTTENBERG   DID.  69 


CHAPTER  lY. 

WHAT  LAURENCE   COSTER  AND  JOHN   GUTTENBERG   DID   FOR  LIBERTY. 

LAURENCE  COSTER  is  a  Dutchman,  and  lives  in  the  old  town  of 
Haerlem,  in  the  land  of  the  windmills,  where  the  people  have  built 
great  dikes  enclosing  portions  of  the  Zuyder-Zee,  set  the  windmills  to 
pumping  out  tlie  water,  and  laid  out  the  lands  into  farms.  The  whole 
country  is  intersected  with  canals,  where  the  boats  come  and  go,  bringing 
cabbages,  cheeses,  hay,  and  wood  to  market.  The  Dutchmen  are  very 
industrious.     The  boys  and  girls,  as  well  as  the  men  and  women,  work  in 


the  fields  and  gardens,  or  tug  at  the  canal-boats.  They  harness  their  dogs 
into  teams,  and  make  them  tug  at  the  ropes. 

Ilaerlem  is  a  sleepy  old  town.  The  boats  lie  at  the  quays,  and  now 
and  then  a  cart  rumbles  along  the  streets.  The  housewives  i-ub  and  scrub 
their  pots  and  pans  in  the  canals  before  the  doors.  They  keep  their  houses 
neat  and  clean,  and  wash  the  pavements  every  morning. 

Laurence  Coster  lives  in  Ilaerlem  with  his  family.  He  resolves  to  have 
a  day  with  them  in  the  country.  He  goes  out  on  one  of  the  canal-boats 
\vith  the  children,  and  sits  beneath  the  trees,  to  hear  the  birds  sing  and  to 


70 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


breathe  tlie  fresh  air;  and  while  the  children  are  playing  he  carves  their 
names  in  the  bark  of  the  trees  with  his  knife !  An  idea  comes  to  him, 
and  this  is  what  he  says  to  himself: 

"I  might  carve  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  each  letter  on  a  separate 
block,  ink  tliem  over,  and  then  I  could  stamp  any  word  in  the  lan- 
guage." 

This  is  in  1423.  He  goes  home,  prepares  his  blocks,  carves  the  letters, 
ties  them  up  with  strings,  and  prints  a  pamphlet.     Up  to  this  time  all  the 


CANAL    IN    HOLLAND. 


books  in  the  world  have  been  written  with  a  pen  on  parchment.  How 
slow  !  Men  Iiave  spent  a  lifetime  in  writing  one  book,  beginning  when 
they  were  young,  working  till  they  were  old,  and  dying  M'ith  their  M'ork 
unfinished.  The  Egyptians  and  Chinese,  hundreds  of  years  ago,  carved 
letters  on  blocks  and  printed  from  the  blocks ;  but  this  Dutchman  of  Tlaer- 
lem  is  the  first  one  to  tie  letters  into  words,  and  print  from  them.  Lau- 
rence Coster  succeeds  so  well  that  he  employs  John  Guttenberg,  a  young 
man  from  Mentz,  to  help  him.  Laurence  keeps  his  secret  well.  The  peo- 
ple see  pamphlets  for  sale;  little  do  they  iniagine,  however,  that  they  were 
not  written  with  a  pen. 


WHAT  LAURENCE   COSTER  AND   JOHN   GUTTENBERG   DID. 


71 


Coster  dies,  but  liis  secret  does  not  die  with  him.  The  apprentice, 
John  Giittenberg,  is  not  a  boy  to  forget  wliat  he  has  been  doing.  lie 
goes  np  the  Ehine.      We  may  think  of  him   as  being  on   a  boat  that 


•-^.' 


STUEKT    IN    HOLLAND. 


slowly  makes  its  way  np  the  stream,  past  the  old  towns  and  castles. 
Rheinstein,  with  its  battlements  and  towers  and  strongholds,  secure  from 
all  attacks,  looms  far  above  the  stream.  He  gazes  npon  the  vineyards, 
sloping   from  the    river  np   the   steep  hill  -  sides.       In    the   autumn    the 


the  baskets  to  the  wine -press,  lie  comes  to  Bingen,  where  the  little 
old  church  with  bells  in  its  steeple  looks  down  upon  the  peaceful  river; 
but,  not  stopping  there,  he  passes  on  to  Strasbnrg,  whose  cathedral  spire 
rises  almost  to  the  clouds,  as  it  were.  In  that  old  city  John  Gutten- 
berg  begins  to  set  up  type  on  his  own  account.  He  thinks  night  and 
day,  turning  over  a  perplexing  question.  Wood  wears  out,  and  the 
types  will  not  bear  the  pressure  of  the  printing-press.  They  must  be 
of  metal.  How  shall  he  make  them  ?  To  cut  each  type  separately  by 
hand  is  too  expensive  and  too  slow  a  process.  He  must  make  a  mould 
and  cast  them,  and,  of  course,  must  have  a  mould  for  each  letter.     That 


72 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


is  expensive;  but  once  getting  the 
moulds,  he  can  cast  thousands  of 
tvpes.  Of  wliat  material  shall  tliej  be 
cast  ?  Lead  is  too  soft.  He  must  ex- 
periment with  different  metals.  Very 
soon  his  money  is  gone.  He  would 
hke  to  keep  his  secret  and  liis  plans 
to  himself,  but  that  he  cannot  do. 
He  must  have  money.  There  is  a 
rich  man  iu  Strasburg— John  Faust, 


% 


^       -ff  ^ 


KHEINSTEIN. 


a  goldsmith,  who  knows  about  metals. 
He  will  go  to  him.  The  goldsmith  sees 
the  \alue  of  the  in\ention,  and  supplies 
John  M'lth  money,  and  the  printer  goes 
on  engra\ing  tlie  letters  for  his  moulds, 
experimenting  with  metals,  meeting  dif- 
ficulties at  every  step,  taking  so  much 
of  John  Faust's  money  that  the  gold- 


WHAT   LAURENCE   COSTER  AND   JOHN  GUTTENBERG  DID. 


73 


smith  begins  to  think  that  lie  never  will  see  it  again.     But  perseverance 
surmounts  all  difficulties.     One  day  Gutteuberg  shows  the  goldsmith  his 


'^*  .^? 


i 


first  proof.  There  it  is — each  letter 
as  perfect  as  if  done  by  a  pen.  It  is 
in  1450  that  they  begin  to  print  their 
first  book,  in  an  out-of-the-way  cham- 
ber, where  no  one  will  be  likely  to 
find  out  what  they  are  about. 

Sixty-six  years  have  passed  since 
Doctor  Wicklif  died,  and  twenty-five 
since  the  monks  dug  up  his  bones. 
There  is  not  much  more  liberty  now 
than  there  was  when  he  was  alive,  for 
kings  do  pretty  much  as  they  please, 
and  the  people  are  taxed  as  heavily 
as  ever. 

Charles  VII.  is  King  of  France. 


He 


IS   a  suspicious  man. 


He  is 


afraid  that  somebody  will  put  poison  in  his  food,  and  so  makes  his  ser- 


74 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


vants  taste  of  it  before  touching  it  himself,  and  he  eats  so  httle  that  he 
will  die  of  starvation  by-and-bj.  One  day  a  traveller,  who  has  a  valuable 
book  which  he  would  like  to  sell  to  the  king,  conies  to  the  royal  palace. 
It  is  the  Bible  on  vellum,  and  contains  six  hundred  and  seven  leaves.  It 
is  such  a  beautiful  book  that  the  king  buys  it,  and  pays  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  crowns  for  it.     The  man  takes  his  money  and  goes  away  ;  the  king 


Ihetpw  Sffipes  o/LauTGiiz  \A.MS,.¥^ni\cr,DeJineaicd 
/rovi  his MovumentaU  Stone  Statue  trcctcd  at 
Ilarlem  . 


LAURliNCE    COSTER. 


puts  the  book  in  tlie  royal  library,  and  is  greatly  delighted  to  know  tliat 
he  has  such  a  magnificent  copy. 

A  traveller  knocks  at  the  archbishop's  palace  with  a  book  which  he 
would  like  to  show  his  lordship — a  beautiful  copy  of  the  Bible.  The  arch- 
bishop is  delighted.  He  never  saw  a  more  perfect  book.  The  letters  are 
even.  What  a  steady  hand  the  writer  must  have  had  !  How  clear  and 
distinct — not  a  blot,  not  an  error,  anywhere  I  It  must  have  taken  the 
wi-iter  a  lifetime  to  write  it.     He  pays  the  price.     Now  he  will  have  some- 


WHAT  LAURENCE   COSTER  AND   JOHN   GUTTENBERG   DID.  Y5 


thing  to  show  his  friends  which  will  astonish  them.  The  archhishop  calls 
upon  the  king. 

"  I  have  something  to  show  jou — the  most  magnificent  book  in  the 
world,"  says  the  king. 

"  Indeed  !"     The  archbishop  is  thinking  of  his  own  book. 

"  Yes  ;  a  copy  of  the  Bible.  It  is  a  marvel.  The  letters  arc  so  even 
that  you  cannot  discover  a  shade  of  diffei'ence." 

"  1  have  a  splendid  copy,  and  if  yours  is  any  more  beautiful  than 
mine,  I  should  like  to  see  it." 

"  Here  is  mine.     Just  look  at  it ;"  and  the  king  shows  his  copy. 

The  archbishop  turns  the  leaves.     "  This  is  remarkable.     I  don't  see 

l^oGobitum  £ajtontDltii(^etiiuere  emu 

^am  fuanonCblumccrmyt^OKtjOjpufcttlaf 
^a?  (Uttocpg  latt^5auffit|^ice(tetuag 


SPECIMEN    OF    TYPE. 


76  THE   STOKY   OF   LIBERTY. 

but  that  it  is  exactly  like  mine."  The  pages  are  the  same,  the  letters 
the  same.  Can  one  man  have  written  both  ?  Impossible.  Yet  they  are 
alike.  There  is  not  a  particle  of  difference  between  them.  "  How  long 
have  you  had  this  ?"'  the  archbishop  asks. 

"  I  bought  it  the  other  day  of  a  man  who  came  to  the  palace." 


The  irue  Qfigies  of   lolm  GuttemieTg  Delhteate.ijrom 
-the  Original  £(tintin^  at  JMentz.  zVt  Gei'manie^. 


lUTTKNUEKG. 


"  Singular !     I  bought  mine  of  a  man  who  came  to  my  palace." 

Neither  the  king  nor  the  arclibishop  knows  what  to  think  of  it.     They 

place  the  two  Bibles  side  by  side,  and  find  them  precisely  alike.     There 

are  the  same  number  of  pages  ;  each  page  begins  with  the  same  word ; 

there  is  not  a  shadow  of  variation.      Wonderful !      But  the  archbisliop, 


WHAT   LAURENCE   COSTER   AND   JOHN   GUTTENBERG   DID. 


AMI  I  I\M    C  \\T(>\ 


in  a  few  days,  is  still  more  per- 
plexed. He  discovers  that  some 
of  the  rich  citizens  of  Paris  have 
copies  of  Bibles  exactly  like  the 
king's  and  his  own.  More  :  he 
discovers  that  copies  are  for  sale 
here  and  there. 

"  Where  did  you  get  them?'-' 
"  We  bought  them  of  a  man 
who  came  along." 
"  Who  was  he  ?" 
"  We  don't  know." 
"This    is    the    work    of    the 
devil." 

The  archbishop  can  arrive  at 
no  other  conclusion.  The  Bible 
is  a  dangerous  book.  None  but 
the  priests  should  be  permitted  to 
read  it.  But  here  is  the  Evil  One 
selling  it  everywhere  ;  or,  if  not  himself  in  person,  some  man  has  sold  him- 
self to  Satan  for  that  purpose.  He  soon  discovers  that  it  is  Doctor  John 
Faust,  of  Strasburg. 

"  You  have  sold  yonrself  to  the  Evil  One,  and  must  be  burned  to 
death." 

Till  this  moment  the  great  invention  has  been  a  secret ;  but  Doctor 
Faust  must  divulge  it,  or  be  burned.  He  shows  the  archbishop  how  the 
Bibles  are  printed;  and  John  Guttenberg  has  printed  so  many  of  them 
that  the  price  has  been  reduced  one-half.     The  archbishop,  the  king,  and 

everybody  else  is  astonished.  So  Faust 
saves  his  life  ;  but  the  idea  of  his  sell- 
ing himself  to  the  devil  has  gone  into 
story  and  song.  It  was  the  translation  of 
the  Bible  into  English  by  Doctor  Wick- 
lif  that  gave  the  first  uplift  to  liberty; 
and,  singularly  enough,  the  Bible  was  the 
first  book  printed  by  Guttenberg. 

Laurence  Coster,  when  he  cut  the  let- 
ters of  the  alphabet  in  wooden  blocks 
and  tied  them  into  words,  had  no  con- 
ception as  to   what  would  come  of  it ; 


ILLUMINATliU    LETTER. 


7S 


THE   STORY   OF   LIB1':RTY. 


but  the  idea  was  like  the  bnrsting-forth  of  a  fountain  in  a  desert.     Tlie 
stream  tliat  issued  from  it  has  refreshed  all  the  earth.     With  the  setting- 

np  of  the  printing-press 
^  began    the    diffusion    of 


-^x\^ 


IPIifi' 


riN<;    A    1!IT!I,K    TO    THE    KING. 
(Prom  ail  Old  Print.) 


knowledge.  Knowledge 
leads  to  liberty.  Men 
begin  to  comprehend 
that  they  have  natural 
rights,  which  other  men 
— nobles,  barons,  kings, 
emperors,  bishops,  arch- 
I  bishops,  and  popes — are 
bound  to  respect. 

One  day  William  Cax- 
ton,  a  merchant  of  Lon- 
don, comes  over  to  Hol- 
land to  buy  cloth.  lie 
sees  some  of  the  new 
books,  and  goes  into  a 
printing-office  to  see  how 
they  are  made.  He  is  greatly  inteVested,  buys  some  of  the  types,  and  sets 
np  a  printing-press  in  London,  in  a  chapel  in  Westminster  Abbey.  Quite 
likely  the  printer's  workmen  do  not  have  a  very  high  regard  for  the 
monks  and  friars  that  swarm  around  Westminster,  for  if  there  is  a  blot 
on  the  page,  they  call  it  a  "  monk ;"  and  if  there  is  a  blank,  they  call  it 
a  "friar."  And  the  boy  who  brings  the  ink  np  from  the  cellar,  and  gets 
his  face  and  hands  black  from  handling  it,  they  call  the  "devil'- — words 
which  are  in  use  to-day  in  printing-offices. 

The  first  book  printed  in  England  was  entitled  "  The  Game  of  Chess," 
in  1474.  The  type  used  was  very  coarse.  Printers  then  took  great  de- 
light in  having  large  illuminated  capital  letters  at  the  beginning  of  a 
book  or  chapter.  They  were  printed  in  blue,  green,  and  gold,  and  made 
the  page  very  beautiful.  Caxton  printed  a  Bible,  which  he  presented  to 
the  king. 

The  setting-up  of  the  printing-press  soon  put  an  end  to  all  the  Merit- 
ing in  the  cloisters  of  the  monasteries.  The  monks  lay  aside  their  pens. 
The  printing-press  turns  out  thousands  of  copies  of  a  book  almost  while 
they  are  sharpening  their  pens  and  getting  their  parchment  ready.  Peo- 
ple begin  to  read,  and  from  reading  comes  thinking,  and  from  thinking 
comes  something  else. 


WHAT   LAURENCE   COSTER   AND   JOEIN   GUTTENBERG   DID. 


79 


Four  hundred  and  fifty  years  have  passed  since  Laurence  Coster  carved 
the  names  of  his  children  in  the  bark  of  the  trees  in  tlie  gardens  of  llaer- 
leni — since  Jolni  Guttenberg  printed  his  first  book  in  that  out-of-the-way 
chamber ;  but  througli  all  the  years  that  discovery  of  using  types  to  ex- 
press ideas  has  been,  like  the  flowing  of  a  river,  widening  and  deepening. 
Throngh  the  energizing  influence  of  the  printing-press,  etnperors,  kings, 
and  despots  have  seen  their  power  gi-adually  weaning,  and  the  people  be- 
comino-  their  masters. 


MONUMENT    TO  GUTTENBERG. 


so 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE   MEN   WHO  ASK   QUESTIONS. 

ON  an  evening  in  October,  six  gentlemen  and  a  servant  ride  ont  from 
the  old  city  of  Saragossa,  in  Spain,  taking  a  road  which  leads  west- 
ward. They  are  starting  at  this  hour  of  tlie  day  for  Valladolid ;  they 
do  not  expect,  however,  to  reach  it  at  once,  for  it  is  two  hundred  miles 
distant.  They  do  not  care  to  have  everybody  know  that  they  are  making 
the  journey,  for  there  are  bands  of  armed  men  on  the  lookout  for  them  ; 
especially  are  they  on  the  watch  for  the  servant  of  the  party — Ferdinand 
_^  _  — a  young  man  seventeen  years  old. 

Although  a  servant,  he  has  a  well- 
'S  Ji     filled  purse  in  his  pocket,  for  he  is 

going  all  the  way  to  Valladolid — 
to  get  married  —  and  has  taken  a 
liberal  amount  of  money.  Not  many 
servants  can  show  so  large  a  sum. 
The  travellers  ride  till  daybreak,  and 
then  stop  at  an  out-of-the-way  town 
to  rest  through  the  day,  at  night 
travelling  once  more.  They  take 
by-roads  and  pass  through  obscure 
towns,  and  halt  again  when  morning 
comes.  Ferdinand  never  has  seen 
the  young  lady  whom  he  is  about  to 
marry ;  but  some  of  the  gentlemen 
whom  he  serves  say  that  she  is  very  fair;  that  her  features  are  regular; 
her  hair  a  light  chestnut;  that  she  has  a  mild  blue  eye,  and  is  modest 
and  charming  in  all  her  ways.  "  She  is  the  handsomest  lady  I  ever  be- 
held, and  the  most  gracious  in  her  manners,"  says  one.  Perhaps  he  thinks 
it  will  please  Ferdinand  thus  to  set  forth  the  charms  of  the  lady.  At  any 
rate,  the  praise  or  something  else  so  abstracts  his  thoughts  that,  when  he 
pays  the  landlord  the  reckoning  at  one  of  the  taverns,  he  leaves  his  purse 


*^sl 


.^feM^; 


VALLADOLID    C. 


I 


THE   MEN  WHO   ASK   QUESTIONS. 


SI 


beliind,  and  discovers,  when  he  readies  Valladolid,  tliat  lie  has  not  a  cent 
in  his  pocket!  Here  is  a  dilemma  for  a  young  man  on  the  eve  of  his 
marriage ! 

Ferdinand  has  served  his  fellow-travellers  faithfully.  He  has  cared 
for  their  horses,  waited  upon  them  at  table,  filling  their  glasses  with  wine, 
and  he  has  done  it  in  a  courtly  way.  The  landlords,  quite  likely,  have 
noticed  that  he  is  the  prince  of  servants;  but  not  one  of  them,  probablj'. 


ISABELLA. 


has  mistrusted  that  he  is  indeed  a  prince  —  son  of  the  King  of  Aragon ; 
nor  do  they  mistrust  that  he  is  travelling  in  disguise  to  be  married  to 
Isabella,  Princess  of  Castile ;  that  he  has  taken  this  way  to  escape  those 
who  are  opposed  to  the  match,  and  who  would  lay  hands  upon  him  if 
'possible. 

Isabella  never  has  seen  Ferdinand,  who  is  a  year  younger  than  herself; 
but  of  all  the  suitors  for  her  hand  she  has  selected  him,  and  is  greatly 

6 


82 


THE   STORY   OF    LIBERTY. 


pleased  to  find  him  all  that  her  fancy  lias  pictured.     She  is  very  religious, 
says  her  prayers,  and  goes  regularly  to  confession. 

On   the  19th   of   October,  1469,  the    niariiage    is   consummated,  for„ 


CORONATION    OF    ISABLLI  \. 


though  Ferdinand  has  left  his  purse  behind,  his  credit  is  good.  There  is 
a  great  gathering  of  grandees,  nobles,  and  ladies — two  thousand  or  more — 
wearing  rich  dresses;  and  by  the  marriage  the  kingdoms  of  Aragon  and 
Castile  are  united,  making  the  Spain  of  these  later  years. 


I 


THE    MEN   WHO   ASK    QUESl'IONS. 


83 


DOMINICAN    MONK. 


After  her  marrifige  she  has  another  confessor,  Thomas  do  Torqnemacla, 
n  Dominican  monk,  wlio  wears  a  bhick  cowh 

"  I  want  jou  to  make  a  promise,"  he  says  to  Isabella. 
"What  is  it?" 

"  Tliat  when  you  come  to  the  throne,  you  will  exter- 
minate heresy." 

Isabella  promises  to  do  as  he  desires. 
The  years  go  by,  and  after  the  death  of  her  brother 
Henry,  in  1476,  Isabella  is  queen.  There  are  heretics  in 
Spain,  men  who  dare  to  think  for  themselves.  That  is 
a  terrible  crime  in  the  eyes  of  Thomas  de  Torquemada, 
and  it  must  be  stopped.  The  Pope  has  an  institution 
already  organized  by  which  heretics  can  be  rooted  out 
—  the  Hol}^  OiKce,  as  it  is  called.  The  men  connect- 
ed with  it  are  Inquisitors,  or  men  who  ask  questions. 
Thomas  de  Torquemada  is  chief  questioner.  The  men 
who  ask  questions  do  it  in  private.  If  they  have  a  suspicion  that  a 
man  is  an  unbelievei',  they  may  arrest  him,  and  bring  him  to  their  secret 
chamber  and  question  him.  These  are  their  rules :  Any  one  may  wit- 
ness against  an  accused  person.  The  Holy  Office  may  take  the  evidence 
of  one  heretic  against  another;  but  a  heretic's  evidence  \\\  favor  of  a  per- 
son is  good  for  notli'mg.  If  two  witnesses  testify  one  in  favor  and  the 
other  against  a  person,  the  testimony  of  the  first  is  to  be  rejected,  while 
the  last  shall  be  accepted.  A  wife  may  testify  agaiiist  a  husband,  and  it 
shall  be  received  ;  but  if  she  testifies  in  \\\%  favor ^  it  shall  be  rejected;  and 
so  with  the  husband  against  the  wife,  or  children  against  parents,  or  par- 
ents against  children.  If  a  witness  does  not  testify  all  that  the  questioner 
desires,  they  may  put  liim  to  the  torture. 

The  questioning  takes  place  in  an  out-of-the-way  chamber,  in  a  build- 
ing that  has  thick  stone- walls  —  so  thick  that  no  moan  or  wail  will  reach 
the  ears  of  the  passer-by.  There  is  the  thumb-screw  —  a 
little  vise  in  which  the  accused  must  put  his  thumb,  and 
then  the  screw  is  turned  a  little.  It  begins  to  bite.  An- 
other turn;  it  bites  harder..  More  turning,  a  little  at  a 
time,  till  the  end  of  the  thumb  is  as  thin  almost  as  a  wafer 
— mashed  to  a  jelly,  and  the  blood  oozes  from  every  pore. 

There  is  a  ring-bolt  in  the  floor,  a  pulley  overliead.  The  questioners 
tie  the  feet  of  the  prisoners  to  the  ring,  their  hands  to  the  pulley;  then  tug 
at  the  rope  till  the  arms  of  the  accused  are  almost  pulled  from  the  shoul- 
ders, and  their  legs  from  the  body. 


A    THUMB- SCREW. 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


TORTURE    CHAMBER. 


Another  instrnnieiit  is  the  rack.  Tlie  prisoner  is  thrown  npon  a  lad- 
dor  and  his  feet  tied  to  iron  bolts  in  the  wall,  and  his  arms  to  a  windlass, 
and  men  -with  levers  work  it  till  the  knees  and  arms  are  pnlled  from  their 
sockets.  Another  instrnment  is  the  rolling  bench — a  table  studded  with 
projecting  knobs  of  oak.  The  accused  are  stripped  to  the  skin,  thrown 
upon  the  table,  tied  hands  and  feet,  and  a  heavy  roller  tilled  with  knobs 
rolled  over  them,  grinding  the  Hesli  to  jelly. 

Tiiere  are  punches  for  punching  holes  in  the  ears  and  tongues  of  the 
heretics,  and  skewers  to  run  through  them,  and  pincers  for  pulling  their 
tongues  out  by  the  roots,  knotted  whips,  iron  collars  set  with  sharp  teeth, 
chains,  balls,  manacles. 

They  fasten  the  heads  of  the  accused  in  a  frame,  put  a  gag  in  their 
mouth,  propping  the  jaws  apart.  Above  them  is  a  dish  filled  with  water, 
which  drips  into  their  throat.  Drip,  drip,  di-ip,  it  falls  hour  after  hour. 
Swallow  they  must  till  they  arc  filled  to  suffocation. 


I 


THE   MliX   WHO   ASK  QUESTIONS. 


85 


Men  and  women,  uiaidens  in  their  yonth  and  beantv,  have  the  clothes 
torn  from  their  backs,  and  they  must  stand  exposed  before  these  ques- 
tioners. The  Holy  Ofiice  is  amenable  to  no  law.  From  the  decision  of 
Thomas  de  Torquemada  there  is  no  appeal.  No  one  is  exempt  from  his 
jurisdiction.  Rich  as  well  as  poor  ai'e  arrested.  It  is  easy  to  accuse  men, 
and  those  who  never  have  dreamed  of  being  heretics  find  themselves  in 
the  clutches  of  Torquemada.  Men  who  arc  their  enemies  swear  that  they 
are  heretics,  to  cause  their  ari-est,  toilure,  coniiscation  of  property,  and 
death  by  burning — so  taking  revenge. 

Isabella  and  Ferdinand  nrge  the  men  who  ask  questions  to  do  their 
work  thoroughly — to  let  no  heretic  escape,  especially  if  they  have  money, 
for  by  confiscating  their  property  the  king  and  queen  and  the  Pope  will 
replenish  their  purses.  Thomas  de  Torquemada  is  not  the  n)an  to  let  the 
grass  grow  under  his  feet,  especially  M'hen  his  shai'c  of  the  [)lunder  will 
be  a  goodh'  poi'tion. 

The  Holy  Office  is  not  a  n.ew  institution.  Pope  Innocent  YIIL,  who 
has  appointed  Thomas  de  Torquemada  to  superintend  it  in  Spain,  did  not 
iiiaugurate  it,  for  other  popes  have  used  it  to  exterminate  heresy.  Innocent 
lias  set  it  in  o[)e!'ation  in  Spain  to  bring  money  into  his  pocket.     He  is 


BELIEVE    AS    I    BELIEVE,    UK    ILL    KOAST    YOU. 


86 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


UNING    A    HERETIC    IN    WtESENOE    OF    THE    FOPE. 


creedy  for  wealth.  He  puts  it  in  operation  in  Kome.  If  a  man  m  Kome 
Commits  murder,  or  any  other  crime,  he  can  go  clear  of  pumshment  by 
payin-  a  good  sum  to  the  Pope.  He  puts  money  into  his  pockets  by  h- 
censi^rg  priests  to  keep  taverns,  play-houses,  and  other  establishments  dis- 
reputable for  priests  or  anybody  else  to  keep.     Being  a  pnest,  the  Tope 


THE   MEN  WHO   ASK  QUESTIONS. 


87 


cannot  marry ;  but  he  has  children,  nevertheless,  and  appoints  them  to 
lucrative  positions.     He  sells  indulgences  and  pardons  for  any  crime. 

One  of  the  persons  accused  by  Torqnemada  is  Seilor  Pecho,  who  is 
worth  a  great  deal  of  money.  Torqnemada  seizes  it  all,  and  puts  the 
owner  to  death.  The  widow  and  children  are  beggars  in  the  street ;  but 
Isabella,  as  a  special  favor,  graciously  gives  them  a  trifle,  but  appropriates 
the  remainder  of  the  estate  to  her  own  use.  Not  only  does  she  appropri- 
ate this,  but  many  other  estates,  till  the  Pope,  seeing  that  she  is  getting 
more  than  her  share  of  the  spoils,  sends  a  legate  to  look  after  his  portion. 
But  Isabella  knows  how  to  manage  the  legate.  She  gives  him  a  liberal 
share  of  the  plunder,  and  he  reports  that  the  expenses  of  the  Office  nse  up 
pretty  much  all  of  the  property  of  the  accused. 

Thousands  are  cast  into  prison.  More  than  two  thousand  men  and 
women  are  burned  —  thrown  into  furnaces.  Other  thousands  flee  from 
the  coimtry. 

"  Do  not  take  such  harsh  measures,"  is  the  advice  of  some  of  her 
friends. 

"  It  is  better  for  the  service  of  God  that  the  country  should  be  depop- 
ulated than  that  it  should  be  polluted  with  heresy,"  Isabella  replies. 


,  /;-  ^     I 


■^v^ 


GOOD    KNOUGH    FOR    HERETICS. 


88 


THE   STOllY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Ainonf»-  others  burned  is  the  sjood  Bishop  of  Tarra2:ona.  Manv  wid- 
ows  are  condemned,  especially  widows  of  rich  men.  Is  it  that  they  ai-e 
o-reater  heretics  than  others  ?     Or  is  it  that  Isabella  and  Torqnemada  can 


BURNING  THE    BISHOP   OF    TARRAGONA. 


secure  their  estates  ?  They  are  working  zealously  to  bring  all  the  world 
to  one  way  of  thinking — their  way.  Theirs  is  the  right  way,  and  if  any 
one  doubts  it,  he  is  to  be  put  to  death.  Liberty  of  conscience,  liberty  of 
thought,  speech,  or  action,  are  all  unknown.     The  Pope  has  decreed  that 


THE  MEN   WHO  ASK   QUESTIONS.  89 

no  one  sliall  dissent  from  his  decree  or  authority,  or,  if  doing  so,  death 
sliall  be  his  portion. 

If  a  witness  shall  swear  falsely,  or  cause  a  heretic,  or  one  who  is  not  a 
heretic,  to  be  put  to  death,  he  shall  not  be  put  to  death  in  turn,  though  the 
Holy  Office  may,  if  it  see  fit,  put  him  in  prison. 

If  a  man  be  accused,  he  must  ])ay  the  men  who  ask  questions  fur  their 
time  and  ti'ouble  of  accusing  him  ! 

If  a  man  be  condenmed  and  put  to  death,  infamy  shall  forever  be 
heaped  upon  his  children,  on  the  ground  that  children  are  partakers  of  the 
sins  of  their  parents.  But  the  Pope  is  merciful,  and  the  Holy  Office  may 
sell  the  children  into  slavery. 

If  a  man  be  condenn)ed  and  his  propei-ty  confiscated,  though  he  may 
be  innocent,  the  Holy  Office  is  under  no  obligation  to  return  it,  on  the 
ground  that  to  be  poor  will  make  men  humble  ! 

If  a  man  blaspheme,  this  is  his  punishment :  he  must  stand  outside  of 
the  church  on  Sundays  when  nuxss  is  said.  But  if  he  say  anything  against 
the  Pope,  the  Church,  the  Viigin,  or  if  he  read  the  Bible,  or  do  not  con- 
fess to  the  priest,  he  shall  be  put  to  death  !  If  a  priest  swear  profanely, 
he  may  be  ffiied,  but  the  public  shall  know  nothing  of  it. 

If  a  man  be  a  heretic,  his  wife  must  leave  him.  A  man  must  leave 
his  wife  if  she  be  an  unbeliever.  Children  nmst  forsake  parents,  and  par- 
ents children. 

Persons  condemned  by  the  men  who  ask  rpiestions  are  burned  to  death. 
The  burning  is  called  an  auto-da-fe — the  act  of  faith.  It  is  a  great  occa- 
sion. Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  all  the  grandees  and  ladies,  the  cardiiuxls, 
archbishops,  bishops,  priests,  and  multitudes  of  people,  assemble  to  witness 
the  burning.  There  is  a  grand  procession.  The  school  children ;  the 
priests,  in  companies,  wearing  their  robes,  carrying  crowns,  banners,  and 
candles,  escort  the  condemned  to  death.  The  victims  wear  yellow  gowns, 
upon  which  are  embroidered  black  devils  with  hoofs,  horns,  and  tails. 
Gags  are  thrust  into  the  victims'  months,  so  that  they  may  not  speak  to 
the  people. 

Following  the  condemned  are  the  magistrates,  nobles,  bishops,  cardi- 
nals, the  king  and  (pieen,  the  men  who  ask  questions  carrying  a  blood-red 
flag.     A  great  crowd  surges  along  the  streets. 

The  procession  reaches  the  place  of  burning,  where  a  bishop  or  priest 
])reaches  a  sermon  praising  the  Pope,  heaping  upon  the  condemned  the  in- 
sulting epithets.  They  are  dogs,  vipers,  wild  beasts,  enemies  of  God  and 
man,  fit  only  to  be  given  over  to  the  flames  —  to  burn  eternally.  The 
sheriff  reads  their  sentence ;  the  bishop  and  priests  chant  a  psalm. 


90 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


"Deal  M-itli  tlieni  gentlv,"  says  the  judge  to  the  executioner,  who  chains 
them  to  the  stakes,  lieaps  the  wood  around  them,  and  sets  it  on  lire  ;  and 


"  FRIENDS    THKY    HAD    NON 


so  the  men  and  women,  wdiose  only  crime  has  been  dissent  from  believing 
as  the  Pope  believes,  are  put  to  death.  Ferdinand,  Isabella,  Torquemada, 
and  the  Pope  take  possession  of  their  estates,  and  the  children  are  reduced 
to  beggary.  In  a  short  time  the  country  is  filled  Math  beggars,  who  wan- 
der througli  the  streets  in  rags,  homeless  and  friendless.  It  is  a  crime  to 
give  charity  to  children  of  condemned  heretics.  They  are  outcasts,  shut 
out  from  all  human  sympathy. 

While  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  are  thus  rooting  out  heresy,  they  are 
trying  to  drive  the  Moors  from  the  country.  Armies  are  marshalled, 
battles  fought,  cities  besieged.  The  Moors  are  compelled  to  leave  their 
beautiful  palaces,  where  they  have  enjoyed  quiet  and  peace  for  centuries; 
but  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  are  strongest,  and  they  are  driven  from  the 
liomes  where  the  fountains  are  ever  flowing  amidst  the  palm-trees  in 
the  spacious  courts.  The  king  and  queen  accompany  the  armies  and  an- 
imate the  soldiers  by  their  presence. 

One  day  a  middle-aged  man,  a  sailor,  comes  into  camp,  bringing  a 
letter  for  Fernando  de  Talavera,  Isabella's  old  confessor — a  letter  writ- 
ten by  Talavera's  friend,  the  good  prior  Father  Pei'ez,  of  the  Convent  of 


THE   MEN   WHO   ASK   QUESTIONS. 


91 


Kabiada,  near  Palos,  introducing  the  sailor,  M'ho  has  an  idea  that  the 
earth  is  round,  and  tliat  if  he  were  to  sail  west  he  might  reach  the  east 
The  sailor  wants  to  lav  the  project  before  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 


A    MOOR  S    PALACE. 


92 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


COURT    OF    THli    ALlIAJlIiKA. 


Father  Talavera  receives  tlie  saiU 
or  courteously,  and  introduces  hi  in 
to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  who  lis- 
ten with  interest  to  his  project;  but 
thej  have  other  things  on  hand,  and 
cannot  aid  him  in  fitting  out  an  ex- 
pedition to  explore  unknown  seas. 
The  sailor,  however,  is  not  a  man  to 
be  discouraged  by  trifles.  He  will 
wait,  years  will  go  by,  and  his  beai'd 
will  turn  to  gray ;  but  let  him  not 
be  forgotten,  for  we  shall  see  him 
again. 

The  war  against  the  Moors  goes 
on.  When  Ferdinand  and  Isabella 
are  in  need  of  money  to  pay  the  troops,  the  rich  Jews  supply  them,  for 
there  are  many  Jews  in  the  country.  They  are  thrifty  and  industrious, 
carry  on  trade,  attend  to  their  own  affairs,  care  for  their  poor,  and  are 
peacefully  disposed.  In  all  Spain  there  are  no  better  subjects  than  they. 
Through  their  aid,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  keep  their  armies  in  the  field, 
winning  battle  after  battle,  taking  town  after  town,  driving  the  Moors  at 
last  to  their  last  stronghold,  the  old  city  of  Gi-anada,  in  whicth  is  the  Al- 
hambra,  the  gorgeous  palace,  one 
from  which  for  centuries  the  Moor- 
ish flag  has  waved  in  triumph;  but 
on  the  2d  of  Jamiary,  1492,  the  ban- 
ner with  the  crescent  moon  upon  its 
folds  gives  place  to  the  flag  bearing 
the  cross,  and  Ferdinand  and  Isabel- 
la take  possession  of  the  Alhambra. 

In  all  the  wide  world  there  is 
no  palace  like  this,  with  its  massive 
walls,  spacious  halls,  marble  floors, 
elaborately  chiselled  columns  and  ar- 
abesque roofs ;  its  gardens,  where  the 
roses  are  always  in  bloom,  where 
fountains  are  ever  playing.  For  six 
hundred  years  the  Moors  have  ruled 
in  Granada,  but  to-day  they  surren- 
der all  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  along  the  corridoks  of  the  palace. 


THE   MEN   WHO   ASK   QUESTIONS.  93 

"  Yon  shall  still  be  a  free  people ;  you  shall  be  treated  with  respect ; 
shall  have  your  own  customs,  and  shall  not  be  molested  in  your  religion. 
No  Moor  shall  be  compelled  to  become  a  Christian."  It  is  Ferdinand's 
promise. 

Tiie  Spanisli  troops  march  into  the  city,  the  Moors  lay  down  their  arms, 
the  crescent  flag  comes  down,  and  tlie  cross  takes  its  place.  In  the  courts 
of  the  Alliambra  a  Te  Deum  is  chanted,  and  Father  Fernando  de  Tala- 
vera,  Isabella's  old  confessor,  is  appointed  archbishop  in  a  city  in  wliich 
till  now  there  has  not  been  a  Chi-istian.  All  are  Moors  or  Jews.  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella  are  masters  of  all  Spain.  All  Christian  heretics  have 
been  rooted  out.  The  fires  have  blazed,  thousands  have  been  burned,  other 
thousands  have  fled,  and  from  the  confiscated  estates  the  king  and  queen, 
Torquemada  and  the  Pope,  have  reaped  rich  harvests.  But  there  are  the 
Jews.  Their  ancestors  crucified  the  Saviour.  Tliey  will  not  eat  pork, 
and  they  will  persist  in  eating  meat  on  Fridays.  They  read  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  Talmud.  Tliey  are  sharp  at  a  bargain,  and  are  getting  rich. 
But  what  rights  has  a  Jew?  Kot  any.  They  must  become  Christians, 
or  they  shall  be  turned  over  to  be  dealt  with  by  Torquemada. 

On  the  oOtli  of  Mar(;h,  1492,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  issue  this  procla- 
mation : 

"If  after  July  31st  a  Jew  is  fomid  in  the  country,  he  shall  be  put  to 
death.  ls"o  one  shall  give  shelter  to  a  Jew. ^  Any  one  doing  so  shall  for- 
feit all  his  property.  The  Jews  may  sell  their  liouses  and  farms,  but  no 
one  shall  be  permitted  to  cany  any  gold  or  silver  out  of  the  country." 

That  is  the  order  which  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  issue  on  the  last  day 
of  March.  If  the  Jews  cannot  carry  gold  or  silver,  what  can  tliey  carry? 
Who  will  buy  their  farms?    Wlio  pay  a  tithe  of  the  value  of  the  property  ? 

Eabbi  Abarbanal  is  an  old  man  who  has  been  of  great  sei'vice  to  tlie 
king  and  queen.  When  they  wanted  money  to  carr}^  on  the  war  against 
the  Moors,  he  supplied  them,  paid  the  troops,  and  so  enabled  them  to  con- 
quer. He  enters  the  Alliambra,  and  kneels  before  them  on  the  marble 
pavement. 

"  Have  mercy,  O  king !  Use  ns  not  so  cruelly.  I  will  pay  six  hundred 
thousand  crowns  of  gold  for  the  ransom  of  my  people." 

"  Do  not  take  it."  Isabella  speaks  the  words.  Thomas  de  Torquemada 
is  her  confessor,  and  now  he  rushes  into  the  audience -chamber,  with  a 
crucifix  in  his  hand. 

"Judas  sold  the  son  of  God  once  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  you 
are  going  to  sell  him  again.     Do  it !     Here  he  is.     Sell  Jesus  !" 

He  throws  the  crucifix  upon  the  table,  and  runs  out  of  the  hall.     The 


'J4 


THE   STOllY  OF  LIBERTY. 


GIBRALTAR. 


good  old  rabbi  turns  awuv,  for  Ferdinand  lias  a  deaf  ear  to  liis  entreaty. 
Perhaps  an  idea  has  dawned  npon  him.  Will  he  not,  by  the  contiscation 
of  all  the  property'  of  the  Jews,  get  more  than  six  hundred  thousand 
crowns  ? 

From  the  ports  of  Carthagena,  Valencia,  Cadiz,  Gibraltar,  ships  are 
sailing  away,  carrying  the  fugitives  to  Africa,  Italy,  and  the  East.  Some 
are  shipwrecked,  some  murdered;  many  die  of  disease,  more  by  famine. 
Some  are  sold  into  slavery.  Remorselessly  the  edict  is  carried  out.  Their 
property  is  seized,  and  Ferdinand  grows  rich  npon  the  spoils. 

Through  the  waning  summer  months  the  stricken  Jews  take  their  de- 
parture:  five  hundred  thousand  are  driven  from  the  country!  With  theui 
go  the  thrift  and  industiy  of  Spain.  Isabella,  Ferdinand,  and  the  Pope, 
through  the  Holy  Office,  have  possession  of  tJie  property ;  but  estates  with- 
out tenants  bring  no  income  to  the  treasury.  In  driving  them  out,  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella  kill  the  choose  that  laid  the  i::olden  axsc. 


THE   MEN  WHO   ASK   QUESTIONS.  95 

Besides  the  five  liundied  thousand  Jews  driveu  out,  more  than  one 
liundred  thousand  heretics  are  burned  to  death,  or  are  thrown  into  prison, 
or  lose  their  property  by  confiscation.  The  records  of  the  Holy  Office 
show  how  zealously  Torquemada  worked  to  excerniinate  heretics. 

This  is  the  record  : 

Burned  at  the  stake 10,220 

Died  in  prison 6,880 

Punished  by  confiscation  of  property,  perpetual  imprisonment,  or  loss 

of  all  civil  rights 97,321 

Total 114,421 


Torquemada   dies ;    but   Diego   Deza   steps   into   his   place 
questioner,  and  the  terrible   machine  of  the   Holy  Office  goes 
and  day  grinding  men  and  women,  humanity,  liberty,  justice,  r 
truth  into  the  dust. 

"  The  Moors  must  be- 
come Christians,  or  be  ban- 
ished," says  the  new  chief 
questioner  to  Ferdinand. 

"  The  treaty  stipulates 
that  they  shall  have  peace- 
able enjoyment  of  their  re- 
ligion," Ferdinand  replies. 

"  Their  religion  is  an 
abomination  in  the  sight  of 
God.  It  is  right  to  break 
faith  with  infidels." 

Ferdinand  sees  an  op- 
portunity to  fill  his  treasury. 
The  Holy  Office  urges  him 
to  show  his  zeal  for  the 
Church,  and  he  makes  his 
decision  : 

"  The  Moors  must  be- 
come Christians,  or  leave  the 
country." 

The  expulsion  begins, 
and  year  after  year  goes  on. 
The  conquered  Moslems, 
since   their   surrendei-,  have 


as  chief 
on  night 
ight,  and 


STREET    SCENE    IN    SPAIN. 


9G 


THE   STOKY   OF   LIBKKTY, 


been  dutiful  snl)jects.     Many  of  tlieni  are  wealthy.     They  offer  to  Lnv 

tlieir  ransom,  but  they  appeal  to  deaf  ears  and  to  stony  lieaits.     Pity  has 

fled,  and  humanity  is  dead.  Into 
the  treasnry  of  tlie  Church  and  the 
king  flows  the  accumulated  wealth 
of  six  hundred  years.  Some  of 
the  Moors  have  professedly  be- 
come Christians;  but  they  will  eat 
no  pork,  and  they  will  eat  meat 
on  Friday,  as  tlie  Holy  Office  dis- 
covers, and  they  are  huri-ied  to 
the  stake  to  pay  the  penalty  with 
their  lives.  Fires  blaze.  Men, 
women,  and  children  are  burned 
to  death.  Weeping  and  wailing 
is  heard  on  every  hand ;  dismay 
and  despair  are  seen  in  the  face 
of  every  Moor.  On  the  side  of 
Ferdinand,  Isabella,  and  the  Pope 
there  is  power;  but  for  the  Moors 
there  is  no  comforter.  So  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella  rear  the  foun- 
dations  of  their  united  thrones  on 

the  graves  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  victims  of  their  broken  faith  ; 

while  the  Pope  joins  them  in  exterminating  the  last  vestige  of  liberty, 

honor,  justice,  and  right. 

The  king,  queen,  and  the  Pope  take  possession  of  the  estates;  and  the 

country  is  filled  with  beggars,  who  wander  liomeless,  friendless,  through 

the  land,  holding  out  their  lianas  to.  the  passers-by,  in  the  streets  of  the 

cities,  for  a  morsel  of  bread. 


, 


HOW   A   MAN  TRIED  TO   REACH   THE  EAST  BY   SAILING   WEST.        97 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HOW  A   MAN   TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING   WEST. 


IT  is  the  mouth  of  February,  1492.  The  skies  are  mild,  the  flowers 
in  bloom,  and  the  birds  are  singing  in  the  orange  gardens  of  the 
Alhambra,  in  the  old  town  of  Granada.  Notwithstanding  this  joy  and 
gladness  in  nature,  there  is  one  man  in  Granada  who  has  no  heart  to  en- 
joy it,  for  he  has  just  seen  a  great  hope,  one  which  he  has  cherished  many 
years,  go  down,  never  to  rise  again,  so  far  as  he  can  see.  He  comes  out 
from  the  Alhambra — leaving  its  magnificent  colonnades,  its  bubbling  foun- 
tains, its  beautiful  gardens,  never  expecting  again  to  behold  them — mounts 
a  mule,  rides  out  througli  the  narrow  sti-eets,  tlirougli  the  citv  gate,  with 


THE    ALHAMBRA. 


98  THE  STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 

his  head  bowed  upon  his  breast.  He  is  a  gray-bearded  man,  and  time  is 
deepening  the  furrows  in  his  forehead,  and  on  this  day  they  are  deeper 
than  ever.  He  has  a  proud  spirit,  and  it  is  hard  to  bear  the  great  disap- 
pointment that  has  come  to  him.     In  bitterness  of  spirit,  he  rides  away. 

He  is  a  sailor,  and  has  conceived  the  idea  tliat  by  sailing  west  he  can 
reach  the  east.  He  behoves  that  the  earth  is  round,  although  nearly  every- 
body else  says  that  it  is  flat.     The  sailor  was  born  in  Genoa,  where,  when 


COLUMBUS. 


he  was  a  boy,  he  helped  his  father  comb  wool.  He  went  to  school  in 
Pavia,  and  studied  Latin,  geometry,  astronomy,  and  navigation.  When  he 
was  only  fourteen  years  old,  he  went  to  sea  with  his  uncle,  and  was  in  a 
battle  with  some  Venetian  ships.  Then  he  sailed  through  the  Straits  of 
Gibraltar,  coasted  along  Africa  as  far  south  as  Guiana.  Once,  off  the 
coast  of  Portugal,  he  had  a  terrible  fight  with  a  Venetian  ship.  He  was 
a  captain  then.  Both  of  the  ships  were  set  on  fire,  and  he  saved  himself 
by  swimming  two  miles  to  the  shore.     It  was  a  fortunate  escape,  however, 


HOW  A   MAN   TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING   WEST. 


99 


for  an  old  sea  captain,  wlio  had  a 
beautiful  daughter,  befriended  liirn, 
and  the  daughter  became  his  wife. 

Those  were  delightful  days.  Lis- 
bon was  a  royal  city.  It  had  a  strong 
old  castle,  built  of  stone — the  Castle 
of  Belem  —  and  a  castle  on  a  hill 
overlooking  the  town.  Every  day 
there  were  processions  of  priests  in 
the  streets,  carrying  banners  and 
crosses. 

The  old  captain  had  made  many 
voyages  to  the  Canary  Islands.  He 
did  not  believe  the  stories  told  about 
the  unknown  sea  far  away  to  the 
west  of  the  islands — that  it  was  boil- 
ing-hot, nor  that  the  great  continent 
Atlantis  which  Plato  wrote  about 
had  disappeared  beneath  the  waves.  It  was  from  talking  with  his  wife's 
father  that  the  gray-bearded  man  had  come  to  believe  that  by  sailing  west 
he  could  reach  tlie  Indies.     He  remembered  that  the  old  Carthao-inians 


WOOL-COMBEK. 


HE   BELIEVES    THAT   THE    EARTH    IS    BOUND. 


100 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


maintained  that  there  were  green  islands  in  the  west.  He  had  read  that 
St.  Brandon,  a  priest  of  Scotland,  eight  linndred  years  before,  had  been 
swept  by  a  storm  far  away  to  the  west,  and  had  landed  in  a  strange  coun- 
try. He  was  informed  that  Martin  Vincent,  a  sailor  of  Lisbon,  when  he 
was  four  hundred  miles  from  land,  on  a  voyage  to  the  Canary  Islands, 
once  picked  up  a  piece  of  wood  curiously  carved,  which  the  winds  had 
drifted  from  tlie  west.  Heeds  like  those  brought  from  India  had  floated 
to  the  shores  of  Portugal,  and  the  bodies  of  two  men  unlike  any  other 
human  beings  had  been  seen  in  the  water  by  sailors  when  far  from  land. 
From  whence  came  they  ? 

Fired  with  enthusiasm,  the  sailor  went  to  the  king,  John  of  Portugal, 
with  his  ]iroject,  and  made  it  so  plain  that  the  earth  was  round,  that  China 
(which  Marco  Polo  had  visited)  could  be  reached  by  sailing  west,  that  the 
king  in  part  believed  it.  But  would  not  great  glory,  honor,  and  advantage 
come  from  such  a  discovery  ?  Certainly  ;  and  the  king  determined  to 
secure  whatever  benetit  might  come  from  it.     He  was  not  a  high-minded 


THK    OLD    CASTLE. 


HOW  A   MAN   TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING  WEST.     101 


man,  and,  after  getting  all  the  information  he  could  from  the  sailor,  sent 
out  a  ship  secretly  to  make  discoveries ;  but  the  sailors,  after  a  few  days, 


MARCO    POLO. 


became  frightened  at  finding  themselves  so  far  from  land,  and  returned, 
saying  that  tliere  was  no  land  in  that  direction.  "You  can't  reach  the 
east  by  sailing  west,"  they  said. 

Those  were  dark  days  to  the  brave  sailor.     The  king  had  acted  per- 
fidiously, and  now  his  wife  died.     lie  could  no  longer  stay  in  Lisbon,  but 


102 


,,    ,   ,THE  STOK'i^-.OF  LIBERTY. 


took  his  little  boy,  Diego,  and  went  home  to  his  native  city  (Genoa),  for 
he  thought  perhaps  his  townsmen  would  help  him ;  but  they  laughed  at 
him  instead. 

"  Eeach  the  Indies  by  sailing  west  ?" 

"Yes."     • 

"  You  are  crazy." 

So  he  can  get  no  help  from  those  who  know  him  best.  He  has  a 
brother  in  Spain ;  he  will  go  and  visit  liim.  He  lands  with  his  son  Diego 
at  Palos.  His  brotlier  lives  in  the  country.  He  is  too  poor  to  hire  a  mule, 
and  the  sailor,  with  his  pack  on  his  back,  leading  Diego,  goes  out  over  the 
dusty  road  on  foot.  He  comes  to  the  convent  La  Eabiada.  Diego  is 
hungry,  for  he  has  had  little  to  eat.  Surely  the  good  fathers  will  give 
him  a  crust  of  bread  and  a  drink  of  water.  He  knocks  at  the  gate.  The 
porter  answers  the  knock,  and  goes  to  get  a  bit  of  bread,  and  while  he 
is  gone  Father  Perez,  the  prior  of  the  convent,  who  lias  been  out  for  a 
walk,  comes  up.  He  wears  a  broad-brimmed  hat,  and  has  a  red  cross  em- 
broidered on  his  robe.     He  is  a  good  man,  and  hears  the  sailor's  story. 

"  Reach  India  by  sailing  west  f 

«  Yes." 


HOW  A  MAN  TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST  BY   SAILING   WEST.      103 

"  That  is  an  idea  wortli  thiukino^  about.  You  must  spend  tlie  night 
with  nie.  I  have  a  learned  friend,  Doctor  Fernandez.  I  will  ask  him  to 
come  in  and  spend  the  evening." 

So  the  sailor  and  Diego  got  a  good  snpper ;  and  Father  Perez  and 
Doctor  Fernandez  listen  to  the  sailor's  story,  and  are  greatly  pleased  with 
what  he  has  to  say.  Father  Pei-ez  gives  him  a  letter  of  introduction,  as 
we  have  already  seen,  to  Father  Talavera,  who  is  Queen  Isabella's  con- 
fessor, and  who  has  gi-eat  influence  at  court.  He  is  one  of  the  men  who 
ask  questions.  The  sailor  must  go  and  see  him,  and  he  will  introduce  him 
to  the  king  and  queen.  Meanwhile,  Diego  can  stay  at  the  convent  and  at- 
tend school.     This  is  in  1486. 

The  sailor  leaves  Diego  with  his  good  friend,  and  hastens  to  Cordova, 
where  King  Ferdinand  is  commanding  a  great  army.  All  the  nobles  of 
Spain  are  there,  and  squadrons  are  marching  to  drive  the  Moors  out  of  the 
country.  The  sailor  delivers  his  letter  to  Father  Talavera;  but  the  queen's 
confessor  cannot  stop  to  notice  a  poor  sailor,  even  though  he  comes  with  a 


i'^\^. 


"a    MOKSKL    of    BKEAU    FOK    DIEGO,    IF    YOU    PLEASE." 

letter  from  his  friend.  Father  Perez;  nor  has  the  king  any  time  to  listen 
to  his  story.  The  army  moves  away,  and  the  sailor,  to  keep  himself  from 
starvation,  draws  maps  and  charts,  which  he  sells  in  Cordova. 

The  days  are  very  dark  now.     No  money,  and  starvation  before  him. 
But  he  finds  another  friend  (Cardinal  Mendoza),  Avho  has  gi-eat  influence 


104 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


with  the  king.     Having  married  Isabella,  and  made  Castile  and  Aragon  a 
united  country-,  Ferdinand  is  planning  new  enterprises.      He  covets  the 


"by    sailing    west,   I    SHALL    BE    ABLE    TO    REACH    THE    INUILS. 


kingdom  of  Navarre,  in  the  Pyrenees.  lie  w411  seize  that  bj-and-by,  and 
so  rob  Catherine  de  Foix  of  her  dominion.  But  just  now  he  is  sitting  by 
the  gurgling  fountains.     The  cardinal  goes  to  the  king. 

"  I  have  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  sailor  who  has  a  grand  project  to 
lay  before  your  Majesty." 

" "  What  is  it  r 

"  To  reach  the  oast  by  sailing  west." 

"  Oh  yes,  I  remember  Father  Talavera  said  something  about  it  some 
time  ago." 

'•  He  is  no  ordinary  man.  I  have  listened  to  his  story  with  great  in- 
terest :  his  project  seems  reasonable." 

"  I  will  direct  Father  Talavera  to  call  a  council  of  learned  men  to  in- 
vestigate the  matter." 

The  council  meets  in  the  Convent  of  St.  Stephen,  in  Salamanca.  Tliere 
are  bishops,  archbishops,  and  learned  doctors  from  the  universities,  in  the 
assembly,  who  hear  what  the  sailor  has  to  say.. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  can  reach  the  east  by  going  west  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  It  is  a  preposterous  idea." 


HOW   A   MAN   TRIED  TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING   WEST.      105 

"  But  tlie  ancient  geograpliei*  Ptolemy,  and  the  learned  men  of  his 
time,  maintained  that  tiie  earth  was  round ;  and  if  it  is  round,  does  it  not 
stand  to  reason  that  we  can  reach  India  by  sailing  west  ?" 

"No.  To  say  that  the  earth  is  ronnd  is  contrary  to  the  Bible,  which 
says,  in  the  Psalms,  that  the  heavens  are  stretched  out  like  a  tent.  Of 
course  it  must  be  flat." 

"  The  sun  and  moon  are  round,  as  we  see  ;  why  not  the  earth  f  the 
sailor  replies. 

"  If  the  earth  is  a  l)all,  what  holds  it  up  ?"  the  cai'dinal  inquires. 

"  We  might  ask  what  holds  the  sun  and  moon  np,"  is  the  sailor's 
answer. 

"  The  idea  that  the  earth  is  round  is  absurd.  IIow  can  men  walk  with 
their  heads  hanging  down  and  their  feet  upward,  like  flies  on  a  ceiling '<" 
asks  a  learned  doctor. 

"How  can  trees  grow  with  their  roots  in  the  air?"  intei-poses  an- 
other. 

"  The  water  would  all  run  out  of  the  ponds,  and  we  should  all  fall 
off,"  says  still  anothei*. 

So  the  wise  doctors  reason. 

"  The  idea  is  based  on  a  false  philosophy,  and  to  say  that  the  earth  is 
round  is  heresy,"  says  one. 


That  is  their  decision.     Heresy  !     It  is  an  ominous  word.     The  men 
who  ask  questions  make  short  work  with  heretics.     The  sailor  must  be 


106 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


careful  about  his  belief.     If  he  maintains  that  the  world  is  round,  when 
the  doctors  say  it  is  flat,  it  will  be  worse  for  him. 

Seven  years  pass.  The  sailor  is  growing  old,  but  he  lias  not  given  up 
his  belief  that  he  can  reach  India  by  sailing  west.  He  has  waited  for 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  to  drive  the  Moors  from  Spain.  They  have  suc- 
ceeded—  have  taken  the  last  stronghold,  Granada,  and  are  now  in  the 
grand  and  beautiful  Alhambra,  with  their  little  girl  Katherine,  who  is  four 


5n 


■  l^ 


1 


RETURNING    TO    THE    ALHAMBRA. 


years  old.  They  sit  by  the  gurgling  fountains,  walk  amidst  the  orange- 
groves,  and  stroll  along  the  cori-idors  where  the  Moorish  kings  have  lived 
in  luxuriance  and  pride.  The  sailor  has  thought,  now  that  the  war  is 
over,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  would  aid  him.  Vain  hope;  he  has  had  his 
last  interview  with  them.  The  queen  was  almost  persuaded  to  help  him, 
but  has  at  last  declined.  Never  again  will  he  trouble  her.  lie  is  riding 
away,  turning  his  back  forever  on  Spain. 

"Have  you  seen  a  man  on  a  mule — a  gray-bearded  man — pass  out  of 
the  «:ate  ?" 


HOW   A   MAN  TRIED   TO   REACH  THE  EAST  BY   SAILING  '.VEST.     107 

A  horseman  asks  the  question  of  tlie  soldier  guarding  the  entrance  to 
the  city. 

"Yes;  there  he  is,  away  on  the  plain,"  says  the  sentinel,  pointing  to 
the  retreating  form. 

The  horseman  sees  a  little  speck  far  away,  strikes  the  spurs  into  the 
sides  of  the  horse,  and  flies  like  the  wind  along  the  road. 

«  Halloo  !" 

The  sailor  reins  in  his  mule. 

"  The  queen  has  sent  me  to  ask  you  to  return." 

Christopher  Columbus  turns  once  moi-e  to  the  city,  and  with  him  turns 
the  world.  It  was  Luis  St.  Angel,  one  of  Columbus's  friends,  wlio  saw 
him  ride  away  so  downhearted,  who  hastened  to  the  queen  to  persuade  her 
to  call  him  back. 

"  Think  how  great  the  gain  may  be,  at  a  trifling  expense,  if  what  the 
sailor  believes  should  prove  true,"  said  the  earnest  man. 

"  It  shall  be  done.  I  will  undertake.  I  will  pledge  my  jewels  to 
raise  the  money.     Call  him  back." 

So  the  horseman  rides  after  him.  He  goes  back  to  the  grand  palace 
to  hold  one  more  interview  with  the  king  and  queen.  Perliaps,  while 
they  are  turning  over  the  project,  he  plays  with  the  little  girl  Katherine, 
taking  her  in  his  arms,  maybe,  and  telling  her  a  story.  Let  us  keep 
Katherine  in  remembrance,  for  we  shall  see  her  by-and-by. 

All  things  are  arranged.  It  is  the  3d  of  August.  Three  little  ships 
lie  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Palos.  They  are  little  larger  than  fishing- 
boats,  and  only  the  largest  has  a  deck  in  the  centre.  The  other  two  are 
built  high,  with  decks  at  stem  and  stern,  but  open  in  the  centre.  There  is 
a  commotion  on  shipboard  and  on  the  shore.  A  great  crowd  has  assem- 
bled, for  the  ships  are  about  to  sail  away  where  ships  never  yet  have  sailed, 
over  unknown  seas — over  that  sea  where  the  waves  are  boiling-hot.  The 
sailors  are  loath  to  go.  No  one  knows  what  dangers  await  them — what 
storms,  what  whirl[)ools,  what  mysterious  agencies  may  destroy  them.  The 
admiral  of  the  little  fleet  (the  gray-bearded  sailor,  Christopher  Columbus) 
says  that  the  world  is  round ;  if  so,  how  will  they  ever  be  able  to  return  ? 
Can  a  ship  sail  up-hill  ?  The  sailors  have  not  volunteered  to  go,  but  have 
been  forced  into  service  by  the  king.  On  the  shore  their  friends  are  weep- 
ing and  lamenting  their  departure.  Never  again  will  they  behold  them. 
The  vessels  are  the  Santa  Mciria,  with  the  adnn'ral's  flag  flying  above  it ; 
the  Pinta,  commanded  by  Alonzo  Pinzon ;  and  the  Niria^  commanded  by 
Yanez  Pinzon. 

Columbus's  ever-faithful  friend,  the  good  prior  of  La  Rabiada,  stands 


lOS 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


npon  the  deck  of  tlie  Santa  Maria  to  bestow  his  blessing.  The  last  good- 
bye is  spoken,  the  anchors  are  raised,  the  sails  spread,  and  the  vessels  sail 
away,  shaping  their  course  toward  the  Canaries. 

On  the  third  day  the  Pinto's  signal  of  distress  is  flying ;  her  rudder  is 
unhung  and  broken,  but  Captain  Alonzo  Pinzon  is  an  able  seaman,  and 


THli    SHIPS. 


secures  it  with  ropes  until  the  Canary  Islands  are  reached,  when  a  new 
rudder  is  obtained. 

On  Saturday,  the  6tli  of  September,  the  three  vessels  turn  their  prows 
westward.  On  Sunday  morning  they  are  still  within  sight  of  land ;  but  a 
fresh  breeze  springs  up,  and  soon  the  last  glimpse  fades  away. 

The  sailors  would  be  brave  in  a  battle,  but  now  they  give  way  to  their 
fears.     The  apprehension  of  experiencing  something  which  no  man  has 


HOW   A   MAN   TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING   WEST.     109 

ever  expenenced — something  strange  and  terrible — causes  their  cheeks  to 
whiten  and  their  eyes  to  fill  with  tears. 

The  admiral  calms  them  by  his  description  of  India — a  land  abound- 
ing with  gold  and  silver  and  precious  stones,  which  they  will  surely  visit- 
Monday  morning  comes,  and  they  discover  the  mast  of  a  vessel  float- 
ing in  the  sea,  which  is  covered  with  sea-weed,  and  has  been  a  long  time 
in  tlie  water.  Tiie  sailors  give  way  to  their  lamentations,  Tliey  too,  sure- 
ly, will  be  shipwrecked. 

On  the  13th  of  September  the  ships  are  two  hundred  miles  west  of  the 
Canai'ies.  Columbus  notices,  in  the  evening,  that  the  compass  no  longer 
points  to  the  north  star,  but  has  changed  five  degrees  to  the  west.  What 
is  the  meaning  of  it  ?  Is  the  guide  to  which  they  have  always  trusted  to 
fail  them  now  ?  He  knows  that  the  sun  and  moon  are  globes ;  he  believes 
that  the  earth  also  is  a  globe ;  but  he  does  not  know  that  the  earth  turns 
on  its  axis  every  twenty-four  honrs — so  bringing  day  and  night.  Such  an 
idea  has  not  yet  dawned  upon  the  mind  of  any  man.  There  is  a  young 
man,  howevei-,  np  in  Poland,  Nikolaus  Kopernik,  nineteen  years  old,  who 
is   studying  astronomy,  and   wlio   a  few  years  hence   -will   propound  the 


THE    CANARY    ISLANDS. 


110 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


startling  theory  that  the  apparent  movement  of  the  sun  around  the  earth 
is  in  reality  the  earth  turning  on  its  axis  every  twenty-four  hours. 

There  is  also  a  man  in  Pisa — the  city  in  which  there  is  a  wonderful 
leaning  tower — Galileo,  who  is  studying  the  heavens.     He  is  twenty-seven 

years  old ;  and  a  few  years 
I  hence  he  will  construct  a  tube 
with  glasses  in  it  which  will 
bring  the  stars  and  planets  so 
near  to  the  earth  that  he  will 
see  that  several  moons  are 
clustered  around  Jupiter — that 
they  change  their  positions 
from  day  to  day. 

But  Christopher  Columbus 
knows  nothing  of  this ;  he  sees 
only  that  his  compass  is  fail- 
ing him.  The  sailors  behold 
it  wath  terror ;  but  he  quiets 
their  fears  by  saying  that  tlie 
north  star  is  not  exactly  north. 
On,  day  after  day,  they  sail. 
Birds  hover  around  the  ships. 
The  water  is  full  of  sea-weed. 

GALILEO.  -r»  1  -,  i-     ^^  ^  i 

By  the  1st  or  October  they 
have  sailed  twenty- three  hundred  miles  —  though  the  reckoning  which 
Columbus  shows  to  the  sailors  makes  it  only  seventeen  hundred  miles. 

The  wind  blows  steadily  from  the  east;  but  the  sailors,  seeing  how 
far  they  have  come,  fear  that  with  the  wind  blowing  steadily  in  one  di- 
rection they  never  will  be  able  to  return.  They  are  all  but  ready  to 
mutiny ;  but  Columbus  quiets  them,  and  offers  to  give  twenty-five  dollars 
to  the  man  who  first  discovers  land.  Now  all  eyes  are  turned  toward  the 
west. 

"Land!" 

A  sailor  shouts  it.  All  hearts  beat  more  quickly,  but  the  sailor  is  mis-, 
taken :  no  land  is  to  be  seen,  and  the  enthusiasm  is  followed  by  despond- 
ency.    They  murmur  once  more. 

"We  are  not  far  from  land.    We  shall  soon  discover  it,"  says  Columbus. 

"  See !  there  is  a  bush  with  berries  on  it." 

They  pick  up  a  shrub  fioating  in  the  sea.  Sure  enough  there  are  ber- 
ries on  it.     That  did  not  grow  in  the  sea. 


HOW  A  MAN  TRIED  TO   REACH  THE   EAST  BY   SAILING  WEST.      Ill 

"These  are  land  birds,"  sajs  Columbus,  pointing  to  birds  that  hover 
around  the  vessels, 

"Look  there!     A  piece  of  wood.     That  did  not  grow  in  the  sea." 

They  pick  up  the  wood.  "  What !  it  is  carved.  These  are  marks  of 
tools.  It  is  not  part  of  a  vessel.  It  did  not  come  from  a  ship.  No  ship 
ever  sailed  here.     There  must  be  land  ahead." 

At  sunset  the  crew  kneel  upon  the  deck,  and  chant  the  vesper-hymn, 


SEA-WEED. 


It  is  sixty-seven  days  since  they  left  Palos.  Columbus  has  calculated 
that  it  is  three  thousand  miles  from  Spain  to  China,  and  he  has  sailed  al- 
most that  far.  He  knows  from  the  birds  around  him,  by  the  change  in 
the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere,  that  he  cannot  be  far  from  land.  Once 
only  has  he  changed  his  course,  and  that  to  the  south-west,  following  the 
birds  which  fly  in  that  direction.  Ten  o'clock.  What  is  that  ?  A  light ! 
There  it  is — far  away.    A  moment  he  sees  it.    It  is  gone.    There  it  is  again. 


112 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


Roderigo  de  Friana  is  on  the  lookout  at  the  mast-head  of  the  Pinta. 
What  is  that  ?  It  cannot  be  a  bank  of  cloud,  for  the  stars  are  brightly 
shining. 

"  Land !     Land !     Land  !" 

There  is  a  commotion  on  shipboard. 

"Where?" 

"  There — there.     Don't  you  see  it  ?" 

"Land!     Land!     Land!" 

The  cannon  are  fired.  No  echoes  like  those  ever  before  were  awakened 
along  the  shores  of  the  Baliama  Isles.     Day  dawns. 

There  it  is,  a  green  and  sunny  isle — an  earthly  paradise — green  trees, 
fragrant  flowers,  myriads  of  birds,  groups  of  men,  women,  and  children, 
gazing  in  wonder  upon  the  sliips. 

The  sailors  who  have  been  so  faint-hearted,  so  ready  to  mutiny,  throw 
themselves  upon  the  deck  and  beg  Columbus  to  forgive  them.  The  anch- 
ors are  dropped  and  the  boats  lowered.  The  banner  of  Spain  is  un- 
furled, and  Columbus,  in  a  scarlet  robe,  wearing  his  sword,  approaches  the 
shore.     lie  steps  from  the  boat,  kneels,  and  with  clasped  hands   gives 


THE    NEW    WORLD. 


thanks  to  God,  and  then  witli  imposing  ceremonies  takes  possession  of  the 
land  in  the  name  of  the  king  and  queen,  and  names  it  San  Salvador.  The 
natives  gather  around,  wondering  at  what  they  see.     From  whence  came 


now  A   MAN   TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING   WEST.     113 

these  beings?  From  the  clouds?  Or  did  they  rise  from  the  sea?  They 
accept  with  delight  the  trinkets  which  Columbus  gives  them.  They  throw 
themselves  into  the  water  and  swim  out  to  the  ships,  climb  the  sides,  and 
in  astonishment  at  what  they  behold.     AVlien  the  cannon  are  lired, 


THE    I-ANDING 


they  fall  on  their  faces.  To  them  it  is  lightning  and  thunder.  They  bring 
fruits  (bananas  and  yams  and  oi'anges),  and  birds  of  bright  plumage  (par- 
rots and  other  birds),  and  give  them  to  the  sailors.  They  wear  pieces  of 
gold  attached  to  their  ears,  which  they  give  in  exchange  for  little  tinkling 
bells.     The  Spaniards  are  eager  to  obtain  gold. 

"Where  did  yon  get  it?"  they  ask,  by  signs,  and  the  Indians  point 
toward  the  west.  Tlie  sailors  can  see  other  islands  lying  aU->ng  the  hori- 
zon, and  they  enter  the  ships  and  sail  away,  carrying  seven  of  the  Indians, 
who  willingly  go  with  them. 

They  visit  island  after  island,  gazing  in  wonder  and  delight  at  the  ever- 
changing  but  beautiful  panorama.  The  mountains  are  (ilothed  with  trop- 
ical verdure.  There  are  myriads  of  bright-hued  flowers,  climbing  vines, 
groves  of  palm  and  cocoa.     The  sea  breaks  on  pebbled  beaches,  tlie  skies 

8 


THE  STOllY   OF  LIBEKTY. 


are  mild,  tlie  air  balmy  and  resonant  with  the  songs  of  birds  such  as  they 
never  before  have  seen.     They  have  fomid  paradise. 

They  come  to  an  island  lai-ger  than  the  others,  where  rivers  of  sweet 
waters  descend  from  the  mountains.  They  go  up  a  placid  stream  in  their 
boats,  beholding  everywhere  new  beauties. 

"  I  could  live  here  forever,"  says  Columbus.  The  natives  call  this 
island  Cuba,  lie  returns  to  the  ship  and  coasts  for  three  days  along  the 
shores,  believing  that  he  has  reached  India. 

The  Indians  bring  them  a  fruit  which  grows  in  the  ground,  which 
they  roast  in  a  bed  of  hot  ashes,  and  which  is  sweet  and  nutritious. 

"  What  do  you  call  it?"  the  sailors  ask,  by  signs. 

"  Batatoes." 

This  is  the  first  eating  of  potatoes  by  Europeans. 

The  Indians  roll  up  a  dry  leaf  of  a  plant  which  bears  a  beautiful  pink 
flower,  light  one  end  and  inhale  the  smoke  at  the  other  end,  puffing  it 
from  their  mouth  and  nostrils. 

"  To-bac-co,"  say  they. 


HOW   A   MAN   TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING  WEST.     115 


The  sailors  try  it,  and  are  made  sick  at  first,  but  soon  enjoy  it.  From 
Cuba  the  vessels  sail  to  an  island  which  the  Indians  call  Ilayti,  but  which 
Columbus  calls  Ilispaniola.  He  lands,  and  beneath  the  giant  forest  trees 
rears  a  cross  and  plants  the  standard  of  Spain.  Thousands  of  parrots 
chatter  around  them,  humming-birds  dart  swiftly  througli  the  air,  and 
flamingoes  stalk  along  the  shore. 

The  sailors  capture  an  Indian  girl,  but  Columbus  treats  her  kindly, 
and  she  is  delighted  with  the  necklace  of  little  bells  wliich  he  gives 
her.  One  of  the  vessels  strikes  upon  a  rock  and  is  wrecked,  but  the 
sailors  take  the  goods  on  shore.  Through  the  Indian  girl,  Columbus  in- 
duces the  natives  to  return  from  the  foi"est  into  which  they  have  fled. 
They  are  simple-hearted,  kind,  and  honest ;  nor  do  they  steal  any  of  the 
goods.  "  They  love  their  neighbors  as  themselves,"  writes  Columbus  in 
his  journal. 

The  chief  gets  up  a  grand  banquet  of  fish,  fruits,  and  potatoes  ;  and, 
after  the  feast,  the  natives  have  a  dance.  Columbus,  in  turn,  orders  the 
sailors  to  go  through  military  evolutions.  The  Indians  gaze  in  admiration 
upon  the  bright  swords  gleaming  in  the  sunshine,  but  fall  to  the  ground  in 


REAUIXG    TUE    CKUSS. 


terror  when  a  cannon  is  fired.  Columbus  builds  a  fort,  and  leaves  a  gar- 
rison to  hold  it,  and  sails  for  Spain.  He  I'eaches  the  Azores,  but,  soon 
after  leaving  those  islands,  a  great  storm  comes  on,  and  the  ships  are  sep- 


116 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBEKTV, 


ai'ated.  lie  fears  that  all  will  be  lost;  but,  on  the  4tli  of  March,  he  drops 
anchor  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Tagiis,  ten  miles  from  Lisbon ;  and  on 
the  15th  of  March  he  sails  into  the  harbor  of  Palos. 

What  a  commotion  there  is  ! 

"  Christopher  Columbus  has  come  !" 

The  cry  runs  over  the  town.     Every  boat  is  launched,  and  the  rowers 
pull  with  all  tlieir  might,  to  be  the  first  to  reach  the  ship. 

"A  new  world  is  discovered!" 
fires  blaze.     It  is  not  a  fiction,  for  there  are  the  Indians — six  of  them — and 


The  bells  ring,  cannon  thunder,  bon- 


RKTUKNING    TO    SPAIN. 


pari'ots,  flamingoes,  rolls  of  Indian  cloth,  bananas,  potatoes,  gold  !  Tlie 
news  goes  from  house  to  house.  Everybody  rejoices  over  the  wonderful 
intelligence. 

It  is  a  triumphal  march  which  Columbus  makes  to  Barcelona  —  six- 
hundred  miles — to  pay  his  respects  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  He  goes 
as  a  conqueror,  noblemen  accompanying  him.  People  come  from  afar  to 
see  him,  to  gaze  upon  the  Indians  and  the  parrots. 

The  king  and  queen  receive  Columbus  in  great  state,  and  take  delight 
in  honoring  him.  And  why  should  they  not?  Has  he  not  given  them  a 
new  empire  ?  But  the  doctors  who  ridiculed  him  at  Salamanca  are  en- 
vious. It  is  not  ])leasant  to  have  all  their  fine  theories  upset,  and  to  feel 
that  they  have  made  fools  of  themselves.     Besides,  this  adventurer  is  an 


now   A   MAN  TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING   WEST.     117 


jui;i;n  kkleive  him  in  great  state. 


Italian ;  and  thej  do  not  like  to  think  that  an  Italian,  and  not  a  Span- 
iard, is  the  discoverer  of  a  new  world.  The  Grand  Cardinal  invites 
Columbus  to  a  dinner.  The  great  doctors  are  there.  One  is  so  envious 
that  lie  cannot  restrain  himself  from  giving  Colurabus  a  little  stab. 


THAT    IS    THK    WAY    TO    DO    IT. 


118 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


"  Do  you  think  that  there  is  no  man  in  Spain  capable  of  making  the 
discovery  ?"  he  asks. 

Cohnnbns  replies  by  asking  a  question  : 

"  Is  there  any  one  at  the  table  who  can  make  an  egg  stand  on  end  f 

They  try,  but  all  fail. 

"  Can  you  do  it  ?" 

"  Certainly." 

He  breaks  the  shell  at  the  end,  and  the  egg  stands. 

"  That  is  the  way  to  do  it." 

"Anybody  can  do  that." 

"  So  anybody  can  go  to  the  new  land,  now  that  I  have  discovered 
it." 

Very  soon  Columbus  is  sailing  west  again,  this  time  with  twelve  ships 
and  twelve  hundred  men.  Thousands  want  to  go.  They  take  horses, 
pigs,  cattle,  and  dogs,  for  these  animals  are  not  found  in  the  new  world. 
Twelve  priests  go  to  convert  the  Indians  to  the  Catholic  faith.  He  comes 
to  the  colony,  but  no  one  is  there.     They  find  skulls,  bones,  decayed  bodies, 


iLL    UAVE 


ruins.  Those  whom  he  left  quarrelled  among  themselves,  then  separated 
and  lived  with  tlie  Indians.  A  powerful  tribe  came  down  one  day  from 
the  mountains  and  killed  every  Spaniard,  and  a  great  many  of  the  coast 
Indians.     He  leaves  a  second  colony,  and  sails  away  to  the  west  in  search 


i 


HOW   A   MAN   TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING   WEST.      119 

of  new  lands,  and  discovers  the  island  of  Jamaica.  lie  finds  no  nionji- 
tains  of  gold,  and  the  adventurers  are  disappointed.  Sickness  breaks  out; 
their  provisions  fail.  Some  of  the  ships  tnrn  back  to  Spain,  Many  of 
those  who  are  with  him  are  young  noblemen,  who,  because  they  do  not 


find  gold, denounce  Columbus  as  a  deceiver;  but  he  sails  on, discovers  new 
lands,  and  then  returns  to  Spain.  The  nobles  are  so  jealous  of  him  that 
two  years  pass  before  he  can  get  ready  for  another  voyage.  lie  sails  once 
more,  steering  farther  south,  and,  after  sailing  thirty-eight  days,  discovers 
an  island  with  three  mountain  peaks,  which  he  calls  "  The  Trim'ty ;"  and 
just  beyond  he  beholds  the  main -land,  South  America,  and  sails  many 
miles  along  the  coast.     This  is  in  1498. 

He  is  Governor  of  the  Xew  World.  The  only  settlement  is  that  in 
ITayti ;  but  the  grandees  are  so  jealous  that  they  cannot  bear  to  have  an 
Italian  over  them.  They  accuse  him  to  the  king  falsely,  invent  lies,  till 
the  king  is  persuaded  to  supersede  him,  and  send  out  a  vain,  pompous, 
cruel  man — Bobadilla — to  be  governor,  who  arrests  Columbus,  puts  him  in 
prison,  rivets  fetters  npon  his  ankles,  and  sends  him  to  Spain. 

The  captain  of  the  ship  is  indignant  at  such  treatment  of  the  noble- 
hearted  sailor. 

"  I  will  strike  off  the  irons,"  he  says. 

"No;  the  king  commanded  me  to  submit  to  whatever  Bobadilla  should 


120 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY, 


order  in  his  name.  I  will  not  remove  them.  I  will  wear  them,  and  keep 
them  as  memorials  of  my  reward  !" 

In  irons  he  is  taken  to  Cadiz. 

"  Shame  !  shajne  !" 

The  people  shont  it,  and  the  king  strikes  off  the  fetters. 

Once  more  Columbus  sails.  He  is  an  old  man  now;  his  beard  is 
white,  and  he  is  not  so  strong  as  he  was.     He  stops  at  Hajti,  and  then  sails 


west  throngh  the  Caribbean  Sea,  skirting  the  main-land,  seeking  ever  to 
find  a  passage  to  India.  He  lands  at  a  place  where  there  is  a  delicious 
spring  of  water,  and  which  to  this  da}'  is  called  Columbus's  Spring.  His 
vessels  are  driven  ashore  in  a  storm.  He  is  taken  sick.  The  Indians  are 
hostile.  He  needs  provisions,  but  cannot  get  them  from  the  Indians,  who 
are  planning  to  attack  the  strangers.  He  must  make  them  supply  hhn 
with  food.  He  understands  astrononiy,  and  knows  that  the  moon  will 
soon  be  eclipsed.  Tlie  Indians  are  superstitious,  and  he  sends  this  word 
to  the  chiefs  : 

"  The  Great  Spirit  is  offended  with  you,  because  you  will  not  supply 
me  with  provisions." 

The  Indians  laugli  at  the  message. 

"You  will  see  tlie  moon  fade  away.  The  Great  Spirit  will  cover  it 
up  and  make  it  all  dark." 


now  A  MAN  TRIED   TO   REACH   THE   EAST   BY   SAILING   WEST.     121 

They  laugh  again.  Kiglit  conies,  and  the  full  moon  rises,  round  and 
red ;  but  soon  the  Indians  see  a  sliadow  creeping  over  it,  beginning  at 
one  side. 

"A  dragon  is  eating  it  np !"  thej  cr}',  and  throw  themselves  upon  the 
ground  in  terror. 

"  The  Great  Spirit  will  pardon  3'on,  and  give  you  back  the  moon,  if 
you  bring  me  provisions." 

"We  will  bring  them." 

They  come  with  baskets  filled  with  yams  and  potatoes  and  fruits.  So 
he  obtains  provisions,  but  his  vessels  are  driven  ashore  in  a  storn),  and  he 
must  die  there  unless  a  vessel  shall  perchance  sail  along  the  coast. 

One  day  the  sailors  see  two  specks  far  away,  and  soon  discover  that 
they  are  two  vessels.  A  fire  is  kindled,  and  those  on  board  the  ships,  at- 
tracted by  the  smoke,  sail  along  the  shore  and  discover  those  whom  they 
are  seeking.     So  Columbus  and  his  fellow-sailors  are  rescued  from  death. 

Twelve  years  have  passed  since  Columbus  discovered  San  Salvador, 
The  islands  which  then  were  a  paradise,  the  abode  of  simple-heai-ted  peo- 
ple, are  drenched  in  blood.     The  Spaniards  have  had  but  one  thought — 


THE    RESCUE. 


to  get  gold  and  to  gratify  passion.  Thousands  of  the  Indians  have  been 
killed,  other  thousands  carried  into  slavery.  The  Indians  had  no  rights 
which  the  cruel  men  felt  bound  to  respect. 


122 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


On  the  20tli  of  May,  1506,  at  Yalladolid,  Christopher  Columbus,  old, 
in  poverty,  begs^ing  his  bread,  lies  down  to  die.  No  one  cares  for  him, 
but  he  dies  calmly  and  peacefully.  So  closes  the  life  of  the  man  who  led 
the  way  for  the  discovery  of  the  future  home  of  Liberty, 


CUL'J.MIiUS  S    MO^L■.MliNT,  (JliN(JA. 


THE  NEW   HOxME   OF  LIBERTY. 


123 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  NEW   HOME   OF   LIBERTY. 


THE  news  tliat  Christopher  Columbus  has  discovered  wonderful  lands 
in  the  West  readies  the  old  town  of  Bristol,  in  England.    It  was  down 
past  this  town  tliat  the  dust  of  Doctor  Wicklif  floated  to  the  sea.      It 
was  a  Bristol  trader  whose 
teeth    were    pulled    out   by 
John  Lackland  for  refusing 
to  give  up  his  money.     The 
merchants   of  Bristol   were  J^ 

enterprising  men,  and  w^ere 
sending  their  si  lips  to  France, 


the  North  Sea. 

Two  of  the  sea-captains 
employed  by  the  merchants 
were  a  father  and  son,  John 
and  Sebastian  Cabot.  The 
father  was  born  in  Venice, 
a  city  that  stands  in  tiie  sea, 
where  the  people,  instead 
of  riding  in  carriages,  glide 


SKBASTIAN    CABOT. 


along  the  water-ways  in  gon- 
dolas. They  were  brave,  adventurous  men,  and,  hearing  of  Columbus's 
discoveries,  persuaded  the  Bristol  men  to  fit  out  a  fleet  for  the  pui-pose  of 
discovering  a  new  route  to  the  Indies.  Tlie  merchants  can  do  nothing 
without  first  obtaining  permission  from  the  king,  Henry  VII.  There  is 
not  much  liberty  in  England  or  anywliere  else.  The  king  is  supreme. 
Henry  loves  money,  and  when  the  citizens  of  Bristol  come  before  him 
-with  their  petition,  he  sees  an  opportunity  to  impose  conditions  which 
possibly  may  bring  money  into  his  pockets  at  their  expense. 
"  If  you  discover  any  countries,  they  shall  be  mine,"  he  says. 


124 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


lie  is  possessed  with  the  idea  that  he  alone  can  lay  daim  to  all  coun- 
tries discovered,  no  matter  who  may  be  living  upon  the  land.  The  people 
of  England  have  few  rights  which  he  is  bound  to  respect ;  much  less  will 
the  Indians  have  any  rights. 

"  That  we  promise,"  the  merchants  reply. 

"  If  you  make  any  money,  I  must  have  one-fifth  of  it." 

Tliis  is  a  hard  condition.     Not  a  dollar  will  he  contribute  toward  fit- 


THE    SEA    SWAKMS    WITH    FISH. 


ting  out  the  expedition.  The  merchants  must  be  at  all  the  expense. 
They  may  lose  every  cent  of  their  investment,  their  vessels  may  be 
wrecked ;  the  king  will  not  share  in  any  loss.  But  on  no  other  condi- 
tion will  he  permit  the  fleet  to  sail.  Hard  as  the  terms  are,  the  mer- 
chants accept  them. 

In  the  month  of  Mav,  1497,  John  Cabot  commandinir  one  vessel,  Se- 


THE   NEW   HOJIE   OF   LIBERTY. 


125 


bastian  another,  with  a  third  to  keep  them  company,  set  sail  from  Bristol. 
The  tide  wafts  them  down  the  Severn  River,  just  as  it  w^aftcd  John  Wick- 
lif's  dust.  They  steer  westward  —  out  upon  a  stormy  sea,  to  sail  where 
vessels  never  have  sailed  before. 

By  the  middle  of  June  they  find  themselves  on  soundings,  and  the 
sea  is  swarming  with  fish.  They  catch  all  they  want.  Never  before  have 
they  seen  such  myriads  of  fish. 

On  the  24t]i  of  June  they  discover  land.  It  is  not  India,  for  they  are 
only  sixteen  hundred  miles  west  of  Ireland.  They  name  it  Prima  Vista. 
It  is  newfound  land.  They  behold  dense  forests  of  pine  and  cedar,  but 
no  sign  that  it  is  inhabited. 

They  sail  north-west,  and  discover  a  bleak  and  rocky  shore,  where  the 
surf  is  breaking  on  cavern  ledges — the  coast  of  Labrador.     Since  the  days 


Iff  'i 


,# 


&iL 


^ 


AMONG    THE    ICEBERGS. 


126 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


S 


k 


THK    ROCKY    SHORE. 


of  the  old  Northmen,  no  European  eye  has  seen  the  Western  continent. 
Cohimbus  has  as  yet  only  discovered  the  West  India  Islands.  Onward 
the  vessels  glide,  sailing  north-west,  till  at  midnight,  on  the  July  days,  the 
sun  only  disappears  for  a  few  moments  beneath  the  horizon.  They  are  in 
the  frozen  sea,  with  icebergs  around  them.     Their  provisions  begin  to  fail ; 


THE  NEW   HOME  OF   LIBERTY. 


127 


the  ice  blocks  tlieir  farther  progress ; 
and  the  brave  sailors,  disappointed 
in  not  being  able  to  find  a  way  to 
India,  but  happy  in  the  thonglit  tliat 
they  have  discovered  new  lands,  re- 
turn to  Bristol. 

Although  the  merchants  ha\e 
spent  much  money,  they  resolve  to 
fit  out  a  second  expedition.  John 
Cabot  is  getting  to  be  an  old  man ; 
but  Sebastian  is  in  the  full  vigor  of 
manhood,  and  a  skilful  navigator, 
and  they  give  the  command  to  him. 
He  sails  w^est  to  the  New-fonnd- 
land,  but,  instead  of  steering  north 
after  sighting  its  wooded  shores, 
turns  south,  enters  the  Bay  of  Fun- 
dy,  where  the  tide  ruslies  in  with 
a  roar  like  distant  thunder,  ri&ing 
sixty  feet.  Sailing  still  farther,  he 
comes  to  Frenchman's  Bay,"  and 
gazes  upon  Mount  Desert,  at  whose 
base  the  sea  breaks  upon  granite 
ledges,  tossing  the  spray  high  in  air. 

Day  after  day  the  vessel  glides 
along,  past  bluffs  and  headlands, 
where  the  waves  have  eaten  their 
way  into  rocky  caverns,  then  past 
sandy  beaches  glowing  in  the  sum- 
mer sun.  If  a  storm  comes  on, 
Captain  Cabot  finds  shelter  behind 
some  island. 

Southward  the  vessel  sails,  past 
Cape  Ann,  past  Cape  Cod  ;  then 
turning  westward,  skirts  the  shores 
of  Long  Island,  and  then  the  coast 
of  New  Jersey,  and  the  low  beaches 
of  Delaware  and  Virojinia — sailins: 
till  provisions  fail,  when  the  hai'dy  the  cavkrns. 

captain  turns  about,  and  reaches  England,  informing  the  king  that  he  has 


128 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


discovered  a  fair  and  virgin  land  in  tlie  west,  M'liicli  he  may  claim 


hh 


As  this  story  unfolds,  we  shall  see  that  through  the  enterprise  of 
the  Bristol  merchants,  through  the  discoveries  of  Sebastian  Cabot,  and 
through  the  claims  of  the  king  to  the  ownei'ship  of  all  lands  discovered 
by  him,  the  new  home  of  liberty  became  the  heritage  of  the  people  of 
England. 

The  King  of  Spain  could  not  at  that  moment  claim  possession  of  the 
Isew  World  by  priority  of  discovery ;  for  while  Sebastian  Cabot  was  sail- 
ing along  the  coast  of  Yii'ginia,  Columbus  was  starting  on  his  third  voy- 
age, during  which  he  discovered  South  America,  as  we  have  seen. 

Would  the  United  States  have  been  the  nation  that  it  is  if  Spain  had 
first  discovered  North  America,  and  established  its  colonies  and  planted  its 
civilization  on  the  shores  of  Virginia  ?  Far  from  it;  for  the  king,  who 
could  violate  his  most  solemn  promises,  as  Ferdinand  violated  his  with  the 

Moors  —  the  queen,  Isabella,  who 
could  sit  complacently  by  M'hile 
heretics  were  being  roasted  to  death 
— the  people  who  could  drive  out 
the  Jews  and  Moors,  and  seize  their 
estates,  were  not  the  sovereigns  nor 
the  people  to  establish  liberty  in  the 
Western  World.  We  shall  see  that 
it  required  such  men  as  those  who 
compelled  John  Lackland  to  sign 
the  Magna  Charta ;  such  men  as 
John  Wicklif,  who  dared  to  brave 
the  Pope's  authoritj^ ;  such  men  as 
Geoffrey  Chaucer,  who  dared  to 
ridicnle  the  monks — men  who  were 
strong-hearted  enough  to  resist  tyr- 
anny, who  M'ere  ready  to  sacrifice  everything  they  held  dear  rather  than 
yield  their  natural  rights  —  that  it  required  such  men  to  plant  the  seeds 
of  a  new  civilization  in  the  western  hemisphere. 

It  was  not  till  two  years  after  Cabot's  voyage  that  Amerigo  Yespucci 
sailed  on  his  voyage  of  discovery;  and  although  the  continent  of  America 
bears  his  natne,  he  was  far  from  being  the  first  to  discover  it. 

The  intelligence  that  the  sea  off  Newfoundland  is  alive  witli  fish  is 
good  news  to  the  fishermen  of  Northern  France,  for  the  Pope  has  decreed 
that  everybody  must  eat  fish  on  Friday.     The  fishei-men  of  Ilonfleur  and 


AMERIGO   VESrUCCI. 


THE   NEW   HOME   OF  LIBERTY. 


129 


other  towns  set  sail  in  their  little  vessels  for  the  New-fonnd-land,  and  drop 
their  anchors  in  a  bay,  which  they  call  St.  Jolni's.     They  dress  their  fish, 


^ 


i  ■ . 


^.>^H^'' 


DRESSING   THKIR    FISH. 


and  dry  them  on  tlie  rocks  and  ledges.  Tliey  bnild  hnrdles  of  brnsh,  and 
lay  the  fish  upon  them  to  dry,  pack  them  in  the  hold,  and  go  back  to 
France  with  their  vessels  loaded  to  the  water's  edge. 

While  the  fishermen  of  France  are  making  these  voyages  to  New- 
foundland, the  Spaniards  are  establishing  colonies  in  the  West  Indies,  for 
they  now  know  that  the  islands  are  not  the  East  Indies.  They  make  the 
Indians  slaves,  treat  them  cruelly,  making  themselves  rich  on  the  um'e- 
qnited  labor  of  the  simple-hearted  natives. 

Adventurers  are  sailing  here  and  there,  establishing  colonies  and  seek- 
ing for  gold.  One  of  the  adventurers  is  Martin  Encisco.  He  is  at  Ilayti, 
ready  to  sail  into  the  unexplored  regions  of  the  west.  Just  before  the 
anchor  is  hoisted,  two  men  bring  a  cask  on  board  the  ship.  The  sails  are 
hoisted,  and  the  vessel  speeds  away  over  the  M'aters.  The  sailors  hear  a 
pounding  inside  of  the  cask ;  then  the  head  falls  out,  and,  to  their  amaze- 
ment, a  young  man  stands  before  them.  It  is  Yasco  Balboa,  a  young 
Spanish  nobleman,  who  has  led  a  dissolute  life  in  Spain,  who  has  been  try- 

9 


130 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


ing  to  recover  his  fortniie  at  Ilayti,  but  wlio  has  been  getting  deeper  in 
debt.     He  has  taken  this  method  to  escape  from  his  creditors. 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  Captain  Enclsco  asks. 

"  Yasco  Nuilez  de  Balboa." 

He  is  young,  noble-looking,  fearless,  and  well-dressed. 

"  I  will  leave  you  on  the  first  island  I  come  to,"  says  the  captain,  in  a 
rage  ;  but  he  soon  sees  that  Balboa  is  a  man  who  can  be  of  great  use  to 
him. 

This  man  from  the   cask  has  already  been  down   to  a   place   called 
Darien — a  rich  country,  where  the  Indians  have  gold  in  abundance. 

"  I  will  pilot  you  there ;  we  shall  find  gold,"  says  Balboa. 

They  reach  Darien,  make  an  attack  upon  an  Indian  village,  and  col- 
lect gold  ornaments  worth  fifty  thousand  dollars.     Encisco  makes  a  settle- 


ment; but  he  forbids  the  sailors  to  trade    j  ' 

with  the  Indians.  The  sailors  do  not  like 
that ;  so  they  mutiny,  and  elect  Balboa  to  be  their  leader.  Tlie  man  from 
the  cask  sends  Encisco  back  to  Ilayti  a  prisoner ;  but  he  is  careful  to  send 
a  large  amount  of  gold  to  the  royal  treasurer  there,  who  is  a  great  favorite 
of  the  King  of  Spain.  He  has  among  his  followers  a  brave  but  cruel 
man,  Pizarro,  who  by-and-by  will  be  heard  of  in  Pern. 

One  day  Balboa  is  surprised  to  see  two   men   come  into  his  camp 


THE  NEW   HOME   OF   LIBERTY. 


131 


dressed  in  skins  of  wild  beasts.  They  are  Spaniards,  deserters  from  a 
colony  on  the  coast,  and  they  have  been  living  with  an  Indian  chief,  who 
has  treated  them  with  much  kindness.  The  chief  is  rich ;  and  the  men 
offer  to  conduct  Balboa  to  his  capital.  With  one  hundred  and  thirty  men 
he  marches  to  the  town.  The  chief  receives  them  courteously ;  and  Bal- 
boa, after  seeing  how  much  gold  the  chief  has  in  his  possession,  takes  his 
departure,  but  in  the  night  stealthily  returns,  falls  upon  the  village,  capt- 


THl     lit  \D    OF   THE    CASK  FALLS    OUT,  AND   A    lOUNG  MAN   STANDS    BLFORE   THEM. 


132 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


nres  the  chief  and  all  his  family,  and  plunders  the  place.  The  chief  com- 
plains bitterly  of  the  perfidy.  lie  wishes  to  be  a  friend  to  the  Spaniards, 
and  offers  his  dano'hter  to  Balboa  in  marriao'e.     The  commander  of  the 


THE    CHIEF    OFFERS   HIS    DAUGHTER   IN    MARRIAGE. 


Spaniards  sees  that  it  will  be  better  to  have  the  good-will  rather  than  the 
enmity  of  the  chief,  and  accepts  the  girl  as  his  wife,  and  becomes  very 
fond  of  her,  and  she  of  him.  In  company  with  the  chief,  he  visits  an- 
other chief,  who  lives  in  a  great  palace  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long, 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  broad,  built  of  heavy  timber.  The  Spaniards 
are  surprised  to  find  an  immense  store  of  provisions,  and  spirituous  liquors 
distilled  from  palm-juice  and  corn.  In  another  building  are  the  bodies 
of  the  dead,  which  have  been  dried  by  fires  and  wrapped  in  cloths,  and 
adorned  with  jewels  and  precious  stones. 


THE   NEW   HOME   OF   LIBERTY. 


133 


The  chief's  eldest  son  makes  a  present  to  Balboa  of  four  thousand 
ounces  of  gold,  which  the  commander  distributes  among  his  followers.  In 
the  division  a  quarrel  arises  between  two  men,  who  draw  their  swords  to 
fight.  The  young  chief  steps  between  them,  and  kicks  the  gold-dust  con- 
temptuously about,  scattering  it  upon  the  ground. 

"  Do  you  quan-el  about  such  stuff  ?  Is  it  for  this  that  you  make  slaves 
of  us,  and  burn  our  towns  ?  Beyond  those  mountains  is  a  great  sea,  and 
the  rivers  that  run  into  it  are  filled  with  gold,  and  the  people  who  live 
there  drink  from  golden  vessels,"  says  the  young  chief. 

After  many  adventures,  Balboa  determines  to  cross  the  high  mountains 
which  rise  in  the  west,  and  see  if  the  stories  he  has  heard  are  true.  One 
hundred  and  ninety  men  volunteer  to  go  with  him.  They  are  all  armed, 
and  he  has  a  pack  of  ferocious  blood-hounds. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1513,  leaving  half  of  his  men  in  care  of  the 
boats — about  twenty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Caledonia  River — with  In- 


"do  you  quarrel  about  such  stuff?'' 


dians  to  guide  him,  he  begins  to  climb  the  mountains.  They  march 
through  dark  woods,  where  in  some  places  the  palms  are  so  thick  and  tall 
that  they  shut  out  the  sunlight,  and   M'here  thick  vines   run  fi-om   tree' 


134 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


to  tree.     Monkey's  chatter  at  tliera.      They  see  venomous  snakes.      It  is 
a  toilsome  journey.      They  march  beneath  the  burning  sun.      The  men 


J: 


CLiaiBlNU    THE    MODNTAINS. 


are  ready  to  drop  by  the  way,  but  the  adventurous  commander  sends 
the  weak  ones  back  to  the  boats,  and  the  rest  move  on.  They  come  to 
a  tribe  of  Indians,  who  dispute  their  way,  armed  with  slings  and  war- 
clubs;  but  the  soldiers  fire  upon  them,  and  Balboa  lets  slip  the  blood- 
hounds, which  rush  upon  the  Indians,  leaping  at  their  throats.     The  flash, 


THE   NEW   HOME   OF  LIBERTY. 


135 


the  rattle,  the  smoke  of  the  guns,  till  the  Indians  with  astonishment,  and 
they  flee  to  the  woods;  but  the  Spaniards*  pursue  them,  and  do  not  cease 
the  slaughter  till  six  hundred  have  been  cut  in  pieces.  They  move  rapidly 
on,  and  at  noon  the  next  day  Balboa  and  the  sixty  men  with  him  are  at 
the  base  of  a  tall  mountain  peak. 

"  From  there  you  will  see  the  Great  Water,"  says  the  Indian  guide. 

The  Great  "W^ater  !     The  explorer  has  heard  of  it ;  now  he  is  to  see  it. 


SLAUGHTER    OF   THE    INDIANS. 


136 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


The  men  stop  while  Balboa  goes  on.     He  will  be  the  fii*st  to  behold 
the  great  sea. 

There  it  is !     The  mightiest  ocean  of  the  globe  —  ten  thousand  miles 


DISCOVERY    OF    THE    PACIFIC. 


^vide — its  waves  rolling  upon  the  shore,  fringing  it  with  white  foam.  Bal- 
boa sinks  on  his  knees,  and  gives  thanks  to  God. 

Tlie  rest  climb  the  peak  and  gaze  upon  it,  and  fall  prostrate  upon 
the  ground.  A  priest  chants  Te  Deum  Laudamus,  and  the  whole  com- 
pany join  in  tlie  thanksgiving.  They  cut  down  a  tree  and  rear  a  cross 
upon  the  spot,  pile  a  heap  of  stones  around  it,  and  descend  the  western 
slope. 

Another  tribe  of  Indians  oppose  tliem,  but  the  muskets  and  the  blood- 
hounds quickly  win  the  victory.     Tlie  chief  sues  fur  peace,  and  gives  Bal- 


THE   NEW   HOME   OF   LIBERTY. 


137 


boa  four  Imndred  pounds  of  gold  in  exchange  for  some  little  tinkling  bells, 
and  thinks  that  he  has  the  best  of  the  bargain. 

They  reach  the  ocean,  taste  the  water  to  see  if  it  is  salt,  and  then 
Balboa,  with  the  flag  of  Spain  in  one  hand,  and  his  sword  in  the  other, 
wades  in  and  takes  possession  of  the  ocean  for  his  master,  the  King  of 
Spain. 

So  the  Pacific  Ocean,  which  laves  the  western  shore  of  the  continent 
where  Liberty  is  to  have  its  future  abiding -place,  is  first  beheld  by  a 
European ;  and  so  Balboa  takes  possession  of  it  for  the  monarch  who  is 
driving  the  Jews  out  of  his  realm,  and  roasting  heretics  by  the  thou- 
sand. 

Great  hardships  are  endured  by  the  Spaniards  before  they  get  back  to 
the  little  band  on  the  eastern  shore.     They  ha\e  many  encounters  with 


B.VLBOA   TAKING   POSSESSION    OF    THE   PACIFIC. 


138 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


the  Indians.  One  of  the  chiefs  captured  offends  Balboa,  and  he  is  torn  to 
pieces  by  the  blood-hounds.  The  Spaniards  find  gold  very  abundant,  and 
obtain  so  much  that  it  becomes  a  burden.  The  soldiers  cannot  carry  it. 
They  are  forced  to  climb  mountains,  Avade  through  swamps,  endure  terri- 
ble hardships.  Balboa  is  taken  sick,  but  his  devoted  followers  carry  him 
on  a  blanket.      After  months  of  toil  they  reach  their  boats,  astonishing 


^,r^^#""  ~" 


THE    HOUNDS    TEAK    HIM    TO    PIECES. 


their  comrades  with  the  immense  amount  of  gold  in  their  possession — 
gold  in  dust,  in  scales,  in  nuggets,  golden  ornaments,  cups,  and  drinking- 
vessels,  worth  liundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 

Balboa  hears  of  lands  rich  in  gold  southward  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
i-esolves  to  visit  them.  lie  cuts  down  trees,  hews  the  timbers  and  plank, 
compels  the  Indians  to  transport  the  materials  across  the  mountains.     He 


THE   NEW   HOME   OF  LIBERTY. 


139 


and  his  followers  endure  incredible  hardships.  One  day  a  new  governor 
arrives  from  Spain,  who  hates  Balboa,  and  accuses  him  of  treason,  arrests 
him,  and  has  him  executed.  Columbus  is  i-ewarded  for  discovering  a  new 
world  by  being  sent  home  in  chains;  and  the  man  who  discovered  the 
Pacific  Ocean  is  executed.  TJiat  is  the  gratitude  of  Spain  to  her  illustri- 
ous men. 


iiXECUTIOX    OF    BALBOA. 


140 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  BOY  WHO   OBJECTED   TO   MARRYING  HIS   BROTHER'S  WIDOW. 

^I^TEARLY  one  hundred  years  have  passed  since  the  monks  dug  iij) 
-^^  the  bones  of  Doctor  AVickhf.  There  are  not  many  followers  of 
the  doctor  iu  England,  for  the  bishops  have  been  weeding  the  Lollards 
out.  So  many  have  been  imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  in  London,  that 
one  section  of  the  edifice  is  called  the  Lollards'  Prison,  In  one  of  the 
chambers  the  bishops  sit  in   council  for  tlie  condemnation   of  heretics, 


LOLLARDS     PRISON. 


not  that  they  have  committed  murder  or  tlieft,  or  for  any  other  crime 
against  society,  but  for  reading  Doctor  Wicklif's  translation  of  tlie  Bible, 
which  is  a  crime,  in  their  estimation,  to  be  punished  by  imprisonment  or 
death. 

In  Bohemia  tliere  has  been  a  terrible  war  lasting  many  years.  Thou- 
sands have  been  killed,  and  multitudes  have  died  of  starvation ;  cities 
have  been  burned,  and  the  land  made  desolate ;  and  all  because  the  Em- 
peror Sigismund  violated  his  word,  and  allowed  John  IIuss  to  be  put  to 


A  BOY   WHO   OBJECTED  TO   MARRYING   HIS  BROTHER'S   WIDOW.     141 

death.  Men  have  little  more  freedom  than  they  had  one  hundred  yearsr 
ago.  The  heretics  have  been  snbdned  everywhere.  Men  nnist  think, 
speak,  and  act  just  as  they  are  told.     The  Pope  is  superior  to  the  State. 


THE    COTTNCIL   CHAMBKR,  TOWER   OF    LONDON. 


The  bishops  have  their  own  court.  A  priest  may  commit  murder,  and  the 
king  cannot  touch  him.  The  bishops  never  put  a  priest  to  death,  even  if 
he  commits  murder;  but  let  a  man  who  is  not  a  priest  be  caught  reading 
tlie  Bible,  and  they  will  soon  have  him  roasting  in  the  fire.  The  Church 
has  a  "  Sanctuary,"  a  safe  place.  If  a  man  has  committed  a  crime,  and 
makes  his  escape  to  the  sanctnary,  the  sheriff  cannot  touch  him  for  forty 
days ;  and  if  he  wishes  to  escape  to  another  country,  by  taking  a  crucifix 
in  his  hand  he  can  go  without  molestation  to  the  sea-shore,  wade  into  the 
sea  up  to  his  neck,  call  three  times  for  a  ship  to  come  and  take  him,  and 
then  no  one  can  arrest  him.  Such  a  privilege  enables  men  to  commit 
crime  with  impunit3^  Justice  is  defeated.  But  it  brings  a  great  deal  of 
money  into  the  bishops'  pockets,  for  when  a  rich  man  seeks  refuge  in  the 
sanctuary  they  make  him  pay  roundly  for  the  privilege  of  being  there. 


142 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Altliongli  Doctor  Wicklif  preached  against  indulgences,  the  sale  is  go- 
ing on  more  briskly  than  ever  before.     A  great  scholar  from  Holland, 


THK    SANCTDAUY. 


Doctor  Erasmus,  makes  a  visit  to  England.  He  goes  to  Walsingham  Ab- 
bey, with  his  friend  the  Dean  of  St.  Paul's;  and  the  guide  shows  them  the 
precious  relics  which  are  kept  in  a  chest,  before  whicli  thousands  of  pil- 
grims reverently  kneel  and  worship,  leaving  purses  filled  with  money  for 
the  priests. 

Tlie  guide  shows  them  something  wdiite,  which  looks  like  powdered 
chalk. 

"  What  is  that  ?"  Doctor  Erasmus  asks. 
"  Some  of  the  Virgin  Mary's  milk,"  saj-s 
the  guide. 

They  then 
come  to  a  black 
trunk. 

"  I    have    a 

precious     relic 

here,"  says   the 

guide,     holding 

THE  CHEST.  up  a  dirty  rag. 


A  BOY   WHO   OBJECTED   TO   MARRYING   HIS   BROTHER'S  WIDOW.     143 

"  Wlmt  is  it  r 

"  It  is  a  fragment  of  St.  Tiiomas's  shirt." 

The  pilgrims  kneel  and  worship  the  holy  relic.  Doctor  Erasmus  does 
not  follow  tlieir  example,  but  turns  away  disgusted,  rather.  Supposing  it 
was  a  part  of  Tliomas's  shirt,  does  that  make  it  holy?  Is  it  of  any  more 
value  than  any  otlier  rag?     He  returns  to  Holland,  and  writes  a  book 


EKAS.MUS. 


about  fools,  which  sets  people  to  laughing.  Here  and  there  a  man  sees 
that  the  people  are  fools,  and  that  the  priests  are  making  money  out  of 
their  simplicity. 

The  king,  Henry  VII.,  wlio  would  not  let  the  merchants  of  Bristol  fit 
out  the  expedition  mider  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  till  they  had  promised 


144 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


to  give  him  one-fifth  of  all  the  money  they  made,  thinks  of  a  way  where- 
by he  can  extort  money  from  whomsoever  he  will.  He  establishes  a  court, 
which  is  called  the  Court  of  the  Star-chamber,  not  only  because  the  ceil- 


WESTMINSTER    ABBEY    AND    ITS    PRECINCT,   ABOUT    A.D.    1735. 

ing  of  the  chamber  in  which  it  is  held  is  spangled  with  stars,  but  because 
the  Starra — a  class  of  state  papers — are  ■  deposited  there.  It  is  a  secret 
court.  He  establishes  it  in  the  year  1486.  A  man  brought  before  it  can- 
not have  any  witnesses  to  testify  in  his  behalf,  nor  can  he  liave  any  coun- 
sel to  defend  him.  He  cannot  make  an  appeal  to  any  other  tribunal.  The 
conrt  is  a  direct  violation  of  the  Magna  Charta. 

The  avai'icious  king  has  two  London  lawyers  in  his  employ — Richard 
Empson  and  Edmund  Dudley — who,  in  tnrn,  employ  a  set  of  ruffians  called 
"  promoters,"  who  promote  the  king's  cause  by  swearing  to  any  and  every 
thing  which  the  lawyers  wish  them  to. 

Many  years  ago  a  law  was  passed  forbidding  the  nobles  to  keep  any 
retainers  or  private  soldiers  in  uniform.  But  the  nobles  have  man}'  house- 
hold servants.  The  Earl  of  Nortliumberland  has  a  treasurer,  a  chamber- 
lain, chaplain,  constables,  and  others  —  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  in  all. 
The  Earl  of  Oxford  has  a  great  many  dependants,  who  live  on  his  estates. 
One  day  the  king  pays  tlie  earl  a  visit.  It  is  a  grand  occasion.  The  earl 
provides  a  magnificent  banquet,  and  summons  all  the  people  who  live  on 
his  estates  to  come  and  honor  the  king.  He  dresses  them  in  uniform. 
The  king  notices  it. 

"Ah,  here  is  a  chance  to  make  some  money,"  is  tlie  thought  that  comes 
to  the  king. 

"  Tliese  are  your  menial  servants,  I  suppose  ?"  he  says  to  the  earl. 


A   BOY   WHO   OBJECTED   TO   MARRYING   HIS   BROTHER'S   WIDOW.     145 


"  Most  of  tliem  are  iny  retainers,  who  have  come  to  do  you  honor." 

"  By  my  faith,!  thank  you  for  your  good  cheer;  but  I  cannot  allow 
you  to  break  the  law.     My  lawyers  must  speak  to  you." 

The  lawyers  do  speak  to  him,  and  the  earl  is  compelled  to  pav  an 
immense  sum,  or  be  cast  into  prison.  lie  feasts  the  king,  and  is  robbed 
besides. 

Lord  Bergavemiy  has  some  servants  whom  the  Star-chamber  declare 
are  retainers,  and  he  has  to  pay  three  hundred  and  Hfty  thousand  dollars 
'to  the  king. 

Henry  is  a  friend  to  the  Pope.  lie  loves  money,  but  gives  liberally 
to  the  Church,  Out  west  of  London  is  Westminster  Abbey,  founded  l)v 
Edward  the  Confessor,  as  long  ago  as  1060,  The  place  where  it  stands 
was  once  a  swamp  in  the  woods ;  but  years  before  Edward's  time,  no  one 
knows  when,  the  monks  reared  a  building  there,  and  adopted  Peter  as 
their  patron  saint.  There  was  a  cleai-  spring  of  water  near  by.  They 
could  catch  fish  in  the  Thames.  They 
were  near  enough  to  London  to  go 
out  with  their  bread-bags,  to  beg  their 
living  in  the  town. 

On  the  Sunday  niglit  bofoi-e  the 
day  which  had  been  ti\ed  \\[Kn\  by 
the  bishop  for  the  dedication  of  the 
monastery,  a  fisherman  by  the  name 
of  Edric  was  out  on  '  __ 

the  Thames,  when  he 
saw  a  light  and  heard 
an  old  man  calling 
to  him,  wanting  to 
know  if  he  could 
ferry  him  across  the 
stream.  It  was  Sun- 
day, but  Edric  was 
ready  to  do  the 
stranger  a  favor,  and  _ 

rowed     him     a(;ross,  -^  ^^^     "'- 

The   venerable   man 

went  on  to  the  monastery,  when  suddenly  a  host  of  angels  made  their 
appearance.  The  church  was  instantly  as  bright  within  as  if  a  thousand 
caudles  had  been  lighted,  and  the  stranger  and  the  angels  dedicated  it 
with  imposing  ceremonies, 

10 


146 


THE   STORY    OF  LIBERTY. 


The  fisherman  was 
greatly  astonished,  but 
soon  the  stranger  came 
back. 

"  Can  3^ou  give  me 
something  to  eat  ?"  he 
asked  of  the  fisher- 
man. 

"  I  have  been  fishing 
all  night,  but  have  caught 
notliing." 

Then  the  stranger 
told  who  he  was. 

"  I  am  St,  Peter,  and 
have  control  of  the  ke_ys 
of  heaven.  AVhen  the 
bishop  comes  to  conse- 
crate the  church, tell  him 
what  3^ou  have  seen,  and 
as  for  yourself,  go  out 
into  the  river,  and  you 
will  catch  all  the  fisli 
you  want.  I  have  grant- 
ed this  on  the  conditions 
that  you  never  again  fisli  on  Sunday,  and  that  you  always  give  a  portion 
of  what  you  catch  to  the  monks." 

The  next  day  the  bishop  came  to  dedicate  the  monastery,  bnt  there,  at 
the  door,  stands  the  fisherman  with  a  salmon — a  present  from  St.  Peter  to  . 
the  bishop,  who  iieard  Edric's  story,  and  was  satisfied  that  St.  Peter  had 
already  dedicated  the  building,  and  there  was  no  need  that  he  should  do 
it.     So  from  that  time  on  the  fisherman  supplied  the  monks  with  fish. 

Edward  the  Confessor,  King  of  England,  was  very  religious.  He  was 
ever  ready  to  do  something  for  the  Church,  to  secure  an  enti-ance  into 
heaven,  and  selected  this  little  monastery  as  one  which  should  have  his 
special  patronage.  He  contributed  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  set  archi- 
tects and  masons  to  work  to  rear  an  abbey.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the 
most  beautiful  edifice  in  England. 

One  king  after  another  added  to  Edward's  building,  till  there  arose  a 
great  pile — almost  a  city  by  itself— Westminster  Abbey,  Chapter-house, 
St.  Margaret's  Church,  Hall  Palace,  clock -towers,  infirmary,  cloisters,  ab- 


SHKINE    OF    KDWAKU    THE    CONFKSSOK. 


A   BOY   WHO   OBJECTED   TO   MARRYING   HIS   BROTHER'S   \VIDOW.     l-iT 

bot's  house,  prior's  house,  sanctuary,  granary,  and  otlier  buildings.  Tiie 
kings  spent  tlieir  money  freely,  employing  architects  and  masons,  who  ham- 
mered away  at  the  stones,  making  elaborate  adornments,  spending  such 
enormous  sums  of  money  that  the  House  of  Commons  protested  against 
expenditures  so  lavish.  That  did  not  stop  the  work  from  going  on,  how- 
ever, and  year  by  year  additions  were  made,  not  only  to  Westminster,  but 
to  other  abbeys,  till,  through  the  exactions  of  the  kings,  and  the  extortions 
of  the  priests,  monks,  and  friars,  a  large  part  of  the  earnings  of  the  people 
was  swallowed  up  by  the  Church,  either  in  the  erection  of  buildings  or  the 
support  of  the  great  swarm  of  prelates. 

Of  all  the  abbeys  and  monasteries  in  England,  Westminster  is  the  most 
renowned.  Gracefully  the  Gothic  arches  rise,  springing  from  the  massive 
pillars  bending  like  the  interlacing  branches  of  the  forest  trees.  The  mel- 
low sunlight  streams  in  through  gorgeously  painted  windows,  throwing  a 
Hood  of  golden,  puiple,  and  crimson  light  upon  the  long-drawn  aisles,  the 


NOKTH  AMBULATORY  AND  CHANTKV. 


oaken  seats,  the  elaborately  carved  work  of  the  choir,  where  the  priests 
chant  the  service,  robed  in  w^hite;  figures  of  saints  and  angels  —  carved 
in  the  enduriufr  stone — entwined  Avitli  vines  and  flowers.      Beneath  the 


148 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


abbey  is  the  orvpt,  where,  in  nicbes,the  kings  and  qneens  o  Kngknd  a  e 
entomb  d  Aling  the  walls  of  the  abbey  are  tablets  and  shr.nes  erected 
"the  memory  of^nen  who  were  mightier  than  kings-the  poets,  the  men 
w>in  have  reigned  in  the  realm  of  mind. 

Upon    le  stony  pavement  of  the  eloisters  the  monks  of  Westm.nster 
knelt  and  said  their  prayers,  for  religion  in  those  days  cons.sted  maudy 


THK    CLOISTKR.' 


i„  counting  beads  and  saying  Pater-nosters-going  ^^^^^^^^^ 
„„ain  and  a-ain.     It  did  not  much  affect  the  heart     It  d.d  not  '"co^n 
rrights  of  man.     It  consisted  in  fasting,  praying,  doing  penance,  and 
observin<y  all  the  requirements  of  the  Chnrch. 

T  e1.in"S  of  England  delighted  to  add  to  the  attractions  of  We* 

,„i  J         Q^ite  likely- the  abbots  and  prio,.  were  ever  ready  to  n.ake     g- 

etns  to  the  kings   „  regard  to  the  endowments;  be  that  as  ,t  may,  tt  .s 


UENKY    VII.  S    CHAPEL. 


I 


A   BOY   WriO   OBJECTED   TO   MARRYING   HIS  BROTHERS  WIDOW.     151 

certain  that  the  kings,  one  after  another,  made  liberal  contributions  for  the 
support  of  the  abbey,  and  for  the  addition  of  something  new  and  attrac- 
tive in  or  about  the  building.  Henry  VII.  plimdei-ed  his  subjects  to  ob- 
tain money  to  give  to  the  Church.  lie  decided  to  build  a  chapel  which 
should  be  the  most  nragnificent  of  any  in  England.  An  army  of  masons 
were  employed  to  hannner  the  stone,  and  the  skilful  builders  to  lay  them 
in  the  walls.  But  it  was  the  people,  and  not  the  king,  who  paid  the  bills 
for  quarrying  the   stone,  hainmei'ing  the  blocks,  chiselling  the   beautiful 


SCULI'TURE  ON  THK  WALL  IN  THE  ABBEY. 


and  intricate  scroll-work  and  tracery  of  vines,  leaves,  and  flowers.  Quite 
likely  the  idea  never  occurred  to  the  king  that  the  building,  by  good 
rights,  belonged  to  the  people,  fi'om  whom  he  wrenched  the  money  by 
taxation  and  by  the  tyranny  of  the  Star-chamber;  and  the  monks,  the 
bishops,  and  prelates  of  the  Church  would  have  lifted  their  hands  in  horror 
had  any  one  suggested  such  an  idea.  But  the  time  was  approaching*  when 
people  M'ould  begin  to  entertain  the  idea  that  the  king's  property  was  in 
reality  their  own  property;  and  there  was  a  little  boy — Henry's  son — then 
])laying  around  the  king's  palace  at  Hampton  Court  and  at  Windsor,  who 
would  unwittingly  help  on  such  an  idea.     By -and -by  we  shall  sec  the 


152 


THE    yrOKY    OF    LIBERTY. 


boy ;  but  for  the  present  we  will  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  boy's  older 
brother,  Arthur. 

When  Arthur  is  only  three  years  of  age,  the  king  looks  around  to  see 
whom  the  boy  shall  marry,  and  selects  the  little  girl  who  was  playing  in 
the  Alhainbra  on  that  day  when  Columbus  stood  there,  making  his  last 
earnest  plea  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  for  aid  to  enable  him  to  reach 

the   east   by   sailing  west.     lie   is 
''''''^^*^^  ^\-v-  vv  good  at  driving  a  bargain,  and  per- 

suades Ferdinand  to  give  his  daugh- 
ter a  handsome  dowr3^  Arthur  is 
three  and  Katherine  five  when  the 
betrothal  is  made. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  1501, 
when  Katherine  is  sixteen  and  Ar- 
thur fourteen,  Katherine  comes  to 
England,  and  they  are  married. 
Ferdinand  pays  two  hundred  thou- 
sand ducats  in  gold  as  a  part  of  her 
dowry.  But  in  the  next  April,  Ar- 
thur suddenly  dies.  What  shall  be 
done  now?  Henry  VII.  loves  money. 
If  Katherine  goes  back  to  Spain,  he 
will  have  to  give  up  the  two  hun- 
dred thousand  ducats.  There  is  his 
younger  son,  Henry,  twelve  years  old;  he  will  betroth  him  to  Katherine, 
and  so  hold  on  to  the  money.  But  the  Bible  says,  in  Leviticus,  that  a  man 
must  not  marry  his  brother's  widow.  The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  says 
that  such  a  marriage  would  be  wrong ;  but  the  Bishop  of  Winchester  says 
it  was  a  law  binding  on  the  Jews,  and  not  on  Christians.  Henry  will 
see  what  the  head  of  the  Church  of  Rome  says.  The  Pope  is  at  war 
with  Louis  XII.,  King  of  France,  and  would  like  to  have  the  King  of  Eng- 
land for  an  ally,  and  grants  the  desired  permission.  Being  the  head  of 
the  Church,  no  one  can  object  to  his  decision  ;  and  as  he  is  infallible,  the 
decision  is  right,  no  matter  what  command  there  may  be  in  Leviticus  to 
the  contrary. 

The  betrothal  between  Henry  and  Katherine  takes  place  at  the  house 
(jf  the  Archbishop  of  Salisbury,  in  Fleet  Street,  June  3d,  1503.  The  boy 
Henry  objects  to  being  betrothed — not  because  Katherine  is  eight  years 
older  than  himself,  not  because  she  is  his  sister-in-law,  but  because  he  has 
not  been  consulted,  and  because  he  is  under  age.     Let  us  not  forget  it, 


ATHEKINE. 


B"^''''                     ~lliil 

Ippl 

Jlj 

Ifc 

1 

1 

'''iii 

1; 

}i 

iliiil 


ii 


A   BOY   WHO   OBJECTED  TO  MARRYING  IIIS   BROTPIER'S   WIDOW.     155 


for  we  shall  see  great  events  come  to  pass  through  this  objection.  Henry 
does  not  make  the  objection  because  he  does  not  love  Katherine,  for  he 
does  like  her,  and  is  willing,  notwithstanding  his  objection,  to  have  the 
betrothal  go  on.  It  is  not  the  boy,  but  the  selfish,  money-making,  prudent 
king,  who,  though  he  has  obtained  the  Pope's  permission  for  the  marriage, 
thinks  it  worth  while  to  provide  a  loop-hole  through  which  he  can  crawl, 
if  it  shall  be  for  his  interest  so  to  do  by-and-by.  Henry  will  not  be  of 
age  these  six  years,  and  no  one  knows  what  ma}^  happen  in  that  time.  If 
the  boy  objects  to  the  betrothal,  he  can  make  that  an  excuse,  if  need  be, 
for  not  consummating  the  marriage  when  he  becomes  of  age. 

The  king  has  a  daughter,  Margaret,  older  than  Henry,  who  is  married 
to  King  James  of  Scotland.  It  is  a  long  journey  which  the  young  lady 
has  to  make  on  horseback  from  London  to  Edinburgh.  She  does  not  go 
alone,  however,  but  is  accompanied  by  a  party  of  high-born  ladies  and 
gentlemen. 

One  night  the  royal  cavalcade  stops  at  a  house  owned  by  the  Archbishop 
of  York,  near  the  little  old  town  of  Scrooby,  where  the  river  Idle  winds 
through  the  meadows,  turning  and 
winding  as  if  trying  to  tie  itself 
in  a  knot.  Myriads  of  ducks  rear 
their  young  in  the  reeds  along  the 
aiver- banks.  The  archbishop  has 
built  a  manor-house,  in  which  he 
can  reside,  and  enjoy  himself  while 
hunting,  fowling,  and  fishing.  It 
is  an  old  building,  partly  of  wood, 
partly  of  brick,  with  a  great  hall, 
and  kitchen  with  a  wide-mouthed 
fireplace,  where  the  cook  gets  up 
grand  dinners  for  the  archbishop 
and  his  friends.  In  the  old  house, 
Margaret  and  her  maids,  the  lords 
and  ladies,  rest  and  refresh  them- 
selves and  spend  the  night. 

Tlie  old  Scrooby  church  rears  its  tower  aloft  near  at  hand.  Let  us 
take  a  good  look  at  the  manor-house — at  the  spacious  kitchen,  at  the  din- 
ing-hall  with  its  massive  table,  the  stag -horns  nailed  upon  the  oaken 
beams;  for  we  shall  come  back  to  the  mansion  again  and  again  as  the 
years  roll  by.  AVe  shall  see  gathered  around  the  hearth-stone  some  men 
and  women  who  have  done  2:reat  things  for  liberty. 


MARGAllET. 


15( 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


Margaret,  after  a  night's  entertainment,  rides  on  to  become  Queen  of 
Scotland,  holding  her  court  in  Iloljrood.  We  shall  see  her  granddaugh- 
ter (Mary  by  name)  in  that  palace,  leading  a  life  filled  with  many  vicissi- 
tudes, Queen  of  Scotland,  of  France, 
yet  meeting  with  a  sad  and  mourn- 
ful fate — having  her  head  chopped 
off  by  the  daughter  of  this  boy  who 
objects  to  being  married  to  Kath- 
eviue.  It  M'ill  not  be  Katherine's 
daughter,  however,  who  will  do  the 
bloody  act ;  but  we  shall  see  Kath- 
erine's daughter  kindling  fires  all 
over  England,  burning  heretics,  just 
as  Isabella,  Katherine's  mother,  with 
the  aid  of  Thomas  de  Torquemada, 


is   roastino-  them   in    S 


pain 


all  of 


COFFINS  OF  JAMES  I.,  ELIZABETH  OF  YORK, 
AND  HENRY  VII.,  AS  SEEN  ON  OPENING  THE 
VAULT    IN    1869. 


which   are   events   inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  Story  of  Liberty. 

Six  years  pass.  The  king,  who 
compelled  the  merchants  of  Bristol 
to  promise  to  give  him  one-fifth  of 
the  money  they  might  make,  the  man 
who  did  so  much  to  beautify  and 
adorn  Westminster,  is  dead,  and  his 
body,  encased  in  a  stone  cofiin,  is 
laid  away  beneath  the  pavement  of 
the  abbey ;  and  his  son,  Henry  YIIL,  is  crowned  king  in  the  magnificent 
edifice,  seated  in  the  coronation  chair.  He  is  eighteen  years  of  age,  tall 
and  stout.  He  has  a  round  face,  a  fresh  countenance.  Although  he  ob- 
jected to  being  betrothed  to  Katherine,  he  is  ready  to  fulfil  his  obligations ; 
for  Katherine,  a  true-hearted  and  loving  lady,  has  been  waiting  for  him 
through  all  the  years.  The  marriage  ceremony  is  performed  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  who,  six  years  ago,  said  that  such  a  marriage  would 
be  contrary  to  the  Bible,  but  who  now  eats  his  own  words,  because  the 
Pope  has  granted  permission.  In  the  next  chapter  we  shall  make  the 
acquaintance  of  the  man  who  gave  permission  for  the  marriage  to  take 
place. 

Although  Katherine  is  twenty-six  years  old,  she  is  a  beautiful  bride, 
and  does  not  seem  to  be  much  older  than  Henry  as  she  stands  before  the 
archbishop  in  Westminster,  her  dark  hair  hanging  loose  and  fiowing  upon 


A   BOY   WHO   OBJECTED   TO   MARRYING   HIS   BROTHER'S   WIDOW.    157 


her  shoulders.  She  looks  lovingly  upon  the  ronnd-faeed  young  man  who 
stands  by  her  side. 

Henry  has  a  sister  Mary  who  is  only  fourteen,  and  she  is  in  love  with 
her  cousin,  Cliarles  Brandon ;  but  Henry  will  not  liave  any  such  love- 
match,  w^lien  the  King  of  France  wants  her  for  a  wife.  The  King  of 
France  is  tlie  same  Louis  XII.  who  was  divorced  from  his  first  wife  that 
he  might  marry  Anne  of  Eretagne,  who  is  now  dead;  he  is  old  enough  to 
be  Mary's  grandfather — weak  and  feeble,  and  afflicted  with  dropsy — and 
yet  the  poor  girl  must  give  up  her  true-love  and  marry  him,  because 
Henry  wants  to  make  an  alliance  with  France  to  strengthen  his  kingdom. 

Girls  who  are  born  princesses  are  not  often  permitted  to  marry  those 
whom  they  love.  Mary  never  has  seen  Louis.  She  goes  on  board  a  ship 
in  the  Thames.  Henry  and  Katherine  and  the  noblemen  come  to  bid  her 
farewell.     There   is  a  great  ,,,..,„    „ 

display  or  ricli  dresses  and 
costly  jewels.  It  is  a  gala- 
day  in  London.  The  shops 
are  closed ;  the  king  gives  a 
feast ;  and  everybody  is  hap- 
py, except  the  young  girl  who 
is  bidding  good-bye  to  Eng- 
land, good-bye  to  her  lover, 
to  go  to  France  and  be  the 
wife  of  a  man  just  ready  to 
drop  into  the  grave.  But 
she  does  not  bid  farewell  to 
her  lover,  for  Charles  Bran- 
don goes  with  her  to  France, 
an  officer  of  the  court ;  and, 
though  in  love  with  Mary,  he 
conducts  himself  discreetl3\ 

Mary  does  not  go  alone. 
It  would  be  cruel  to  send  her 

.-,  ill  HhNKV    Vlll. 

away  witJi  no  one  to  keep  her 

company.  Twelve  English  maidens  accompany  her.  One  is  a  pretty, 
sprightly  girl,  seven  years  old,  Anne  Boleyn,  who  can  speak  French.  Her 
father  is  of  French  descent. 

Little  does  the  young  king  mistrust,  as  he  sees  the  beautiful  girl  Anne 
on  the  deck  of  the  ship,  as  to  what  lies  before  them  both  in  the  unseen 
future.      Little  does  the  light-hearted  gii-l  dream  of  what  time  will  bring 


158 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


to  them.     If  she  conld  but  lift  tlie  veil  that  hides  the  coming  years,  in- 
stead of  being  so  joj'ful  on  this  gala-day,  she  would  stand  pale  and  wan 

as  a  gliost  amidst  the  happy  throng. 
What  would  she  discover  ?  We  will 
wait  and  see  what  time  will  unfold. 

The  sliips  sail  down  the  Thames 
and  out  upon  the  sea.  Tlie  waves 
are  contrary.  They  dash  over  the 
vessels,  which  dance  like  cockle-shells 
before  the  tempest.  Mary  and  Anne 
and  all  the  other  gii-ls  are  drenched 
by  the  waves.  They  fear  that  the 
ship  Mall  go  to  the  bottom,  and  have 
a  narrow  escape  from  shipwreck. 
Their  trunks  are  on  another  ship, 
M'liich  is  lost;  and  though  they  reach 
the  shore  m  safety,  the}*  have  no  dry 
clothes,  and  are  forced  to  put  on  such  garments  as  the  peasants  can  lend 
them.  It  is  a  sorry  journey  for  Mary,  this  going  to  be  the  wife  of  an  old 
man  whom  she  has  never  seen.  What  all  this  had  to  do  with  the  Story 
of  Liberty  Me  shall  see  before  lono-. 


THE   MAN    WHO   CAN   DO   NO  WRONG.  15i 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  MAN  WHO  CAN  DO  NO  WRONG. 

THE  Pope  who  gi'aiited  permission  for  Katlieriue  and  Henry  to  marry 
is  in  his  palace  in  Rome.  His  papal  name  is  Alexander  VI.  His 
father's  name  was  Langolo.  He  lived  in  Valencia,  Spain,  where  the  Pope 
was  born,  and  where  he  was  christened  Roderick.  During  his  boyhood, 
his  father  moves  to  Venice — the  city  in  the  midst  of  the  sea — where  he 
changes  his  name  to  Borgia. 

He  educated  Roderick  to  be  a  lawyer;  but  the  boy's  nncle  is  a  bishop, 
and  can  help  him  on  in  the  Church,  and  so  Roderick,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, becomes  a  priest.  Being  in  the  priesthood,  he  ought  to  be  a  good 
man  ;  but  he  leads  a  very  wicked  life. 

In  the  course  of  time  the  uncle  is  elected  Pope.  He  does  not  forget 
the  nephew,  whom  he  appoints  a  cardinal,  witli  a  large  income — not  less 
than  twenty-eight  thousand  ducats  per  annum.  From  whence  does  the 
money  come  ?  From  the  people,  who  must  pay  their  money  into  the 
Church,  or  be  regarded  as  heretics. 

The  young  cardinal  lays  his  plans  for  the  future.  His  uncle  is  an  old 
man,  and  Roderick  is  determined,  at  his  deatli,  to  step  into  his  shoes  as 
Pope.  With  so  much  wealth  he  can  give  grand  dinners,  and  win  the 
favor  of  the  (;ardinals,  who  elect  a  new  Pope  whenever  there  is  a  va- 
cancy. 

It  is  only  three  years  that  he  has  to  wait  for  his  uncle  to  die.  He  has 
little  difficulty  in  persuading  a  majority  of  the  cai-dinals  to  vote  for  him. 
Does  he  not  make  great  promises  as  to  what  he  will  do  for  them  ^  Twen- 
ty-two vote  for  him,  while  only  five  oppose  him. 

On  August  11th,  1492,  at  the  time  Christopher  Columbus  is  sailing 
Avestward  over  an  unknown  sea,  Roderick  Langolo  Borgia  is  carried  into 
the  papal  palace  on  the  shoulders  of  the  people,  followed  by  the  cai'dinals 
who  have  elected  him. 

"  He  is  a  bad  man,  as  you  will  find  out,"  say  the  cardinals  to  tiiose 
who  have  ffiven  Cardinal  Boro^ia  their  votes. 


IGO 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


THK    POPE    IN    HIS    PALACE. 


"  He  will  hand  over  all  Christendom  to  the  devil,"  remarks  Ferdinand 
of  Spain,  who  knows  the  family. 

The  new  Pope  loves  displa}-.  He  puts  on  costly  robes,  adorned  with 
precious  jewels,  and  is  borne  into  St.  Peter's  in  great  state,  seated  in  a 
golden  chair,  on  a  litter  resting  on  the  shoulders  of  his  obedient  subjects. 


THE   MAN  WHO   CAN   DO   NO   WRONG. 


IGl 


Now  that  Eodei-ick  is  Pope,  having  all  power  on  earth,  incapable  of 
doing  anything  wrong,  ho  brings  his  children  and  their  mother  into  the 
papal  palace.  He  is  a  priest,  and  it  is  not  lawful  for  a  priest  to  marry ; 
biit  though  no  marriage  ceremony  has  been  performed,  the  woman  lives 
with  him  as  if  she  were  his  wife. 


THK    POPE    GOING    TO    ST.  PETERS. 
11 


162 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


The  cardinals  whom  he  promised  to  reward  come  to  receive  their  gifts, 
bnt  the  Pope  laughs  in  their  faces ;  he  does  not  remember  of  ever  having 
promised  them  anything.  Some  of  them  are  pertinacious  in  their  de- 
mands, and  he  imprisons  them  in  St.  Angelo.  Two  of  the  prisoners  are 
especially  obnoxious  to  the  Pope ;  they  are  suddenly  seized  with  a  ter- 
rible sickness  that  results  in  death,  and  the  physicians  who  attend  them, 


C^SAR   BORGIA. 


when  questioned  in  regard  to  their  sickness,  whisper  an  ominous  word^ 
poison  !  People  say  that  the  Pope  knows  who  put  poison  in  the  cardinals 
food. 

People  all  over  the  world  are  contributing  their  money  to  the  Church. 
It  is  flowing  into  the  papal  treasury  from  England,  Germany,  France, 
Spain,  and  Italy;  and  the  Pope,  the  woman  who  lives  with  him,  and  their 
children,  help  themselves  liberally  from  the  bountiful  supply. 


TIIK    CAKDINALS. 


THE   MAN   WHO   CAN   DO   NO  WRONG. 


165 


But  the  Pope  wants  soiuetliiiig  besides  money  for  his  cliildren  ;  he 
desires  to  have  them  numbered  among  princes.  Frederick  is  the  eldest, 
and  the  Pope  persuades  Ferdinand  of  Spain  to  make  the  young  man  a 
duke.  The  second  son,  Caesar,  the  Pope  appoints  Archbishop  of  Valencia 
— the  richest  bishopric  in  Spain.  We  shall  presently  see  what  sort  of  a 
man  he  is,  to  occupy  such  a  position  in  the  Church. 

The  third  son  is  Ludovico,  who  is  created  a  cardinal,  and  who  receives 
a  fortune  from  the  papal  treasury. 

The  youngest  son,  Godfrey,  is  created  a  baron,  and  is  provided  with  a 
fortune. 

The  Pope  has  one  daughter,  Lucretia,  a  beautiful  girl,  who  is  already 
married  to  a  Spanish  nobleman;  but  the  father  wishes  to  advance  her  to 
a  higher  position,  and  divorces  her 
from  her  husband,  and  gives  her 
in  marriage  to  Lord  Sforza. 

The  wedding  is  celebrated  with 
much  pomp  in  the  papal  palace. 
The  cardinals,  archbishops,  and 
bishops  are  there  in  their  gorgeous 
robes,  and  a  banquet  is  served  of 
the  choicest  viands  and  wines. 

Some  of  the  rich  and  old  fam- 
ilies of  Rome,  who  claim  to  be  de- 
scended from  the  nobles  of  the 
time  of  Julius  Ciesar,  show  their 
contempt  for  such  a  Pope.  One 
of  the  families  is  the  Coloima. 
One  of  the  noblest  and  best  wom- 
en of  the  time  is  Yittoria  Colonna,  who  will  not  attend  the  Pope's  ban-- 
quets,  nor  recognize  the  Pope  in  any  way,  asserting  her  individual  inde- 
pendence and  liberty. 

The  Pope  resolves  to  be  revenged.  He  will  let  the  noble  families  know 
that  he  has  all  power  on  earth.  He  confiscates  their  estates,  appropriates 
them  to  his  own  use,  or  bestows  them  upon  his  children.  To  Frederick, 
the  eldest,  he  gives  a  large  sum,  which  arouses  the  anger  and  jealousy  of 
Archbishop  Csesar  Borgia. 

One  morning  some  fishermen  find  the  body  of  Duke  Frederick  floating 
in  the  Tiber,  with  nine  wounds  in  the  breast. 

"  This  is  your  work,"  tlie  Pope  says  to  Archbishop  Csesar. 

"No,  I  did  not  kill  him,"  the  archbishop  replies. 


VITTOKIA    COLONNA. 


16G 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


"  But  you  had  liim  assassinated." 
The  archbishop  does  nut  deny  it. 

What  shall  the  Pope  do?  Shall  the  archbishop  be  hanged,  or  shall 
he  be  imprisoned  ?  Assassination  is  a  terrible  crime,  especially  when  com- 
mitted by  one  of  the  highest  prelates  of  the  Church.  Shall  not  Caesar  be 
at  once  degraded  from  his  archbishopric  ?  No.  The  Pope  pardons  him 
instead,  and  tlie  assassin  goes  on  absolving  people  from  their  sins,  and  en- 
joying all  the  wealth  and  honor  and  power  of  his  position. 

But  Csesar  is  tired  of  being  a  priest,  and  the  Pope  releases  him  from 
his  vows,  for  he  has  other  plans  in  view  for  him.  Now  that  he  can  marry, 
the  Pope  demands  of  the  King  of  Naples  the  hand  of  his  danghter  in  mar- 
riage with  Coesar.  The  king  refuses.  The  Pope  resolves  to  have  his  re- 
venge, and  he  looks  around  to  see 
liow  it  can  be  gratified.  He  re- 
members that  the  French  king, 
Louis  XIL,  for  a  long  while  has 
laid  claim  to  the  kingdom  of  Na- 
ples, and  also  to  the  dukedom  of 
Milan.  Louis  is  married  to  a 
woman  whom  he  hates,  and  from 
whom  he  would  like  to  be  divorced, 
so  that  he  can  marr}^  Anne  of 
Bretagne.  The  Pope  sends  an 
ambassador  to  Paris,  with  a  prop- 
osition :  If  Louis  will  pay  him 
thirty  thousand  ducats,  and  endow 
Ca3sar  with  two  provinces  in  Dau- 
phine  which  will  yield  twenty 
thousand  livres  a  year,  and  make  Csesar  a  duke,  and  marry  him  to  Char- 
lotte d'Albret,  the  beautiful  daughter  of  a  French  count,  he  will  issue  a 
bull  taking  the  crown  from  the  King  of  Naples  and  giving  it  to  Louis, 
and  will  support  his  claims  to  Milan. 

As  the  Pope  has  the  yiglit  to  give  away  crowns  and  depose  kings,  Louis 
accepts  the  proposition.  The  Pope  decrees  the  dissolution  of  Louis's  mar- 
riage contract,  and  issues  a  bull  taking  the  crown  from  the  King  of  Naples 
and  giving  it  to  Louis,  who  at  once  sets  his  armies  in  motion  to  take  pos- 
session. It  is  the  beginning  of  a  war  in  which  many  hundred  thousand 
men  lose  their  lives,  towns  and  cities  are  destroyed,  and  the  land  made 
desolate. 

Lucretia  is  tired  of  her  husband,  Lord  Sforza,  and  the  Pope  can  see  a 


LUCRETIA    BORGIA. 


^  ill 


'II 


THE   MAN   WHO   CAN   DO  NO   WEONG.  169 

chance  to  many  her  again,  and  so  divorces  her  from  Sforza,  and  marries 
her  to  Duke  Alfonzo  of  Naples.  lie  soon  discovers,  however,  though  lie 
is  infallible,  and  can  make  no  mistake  in  anything,  that  Alfonzo  is  a  poor 
fellow,  whom  he  must  get  rid  of.  Lucretia  has  been  divorced  so  many 
times  that  it  will  hardly  do  to  issue  another  divorce  so  soon  after  her  mar- 
riage. There  are  assassins  in  Home,  and  if  Lncretia's  husband  should  hap- 
pen to  disappear  some  night,  it  would  only  be  such  a  fate  as  falls  to  other 
men.  Singularly  enough,  one  evening,  when  Alfonzo  is  walking  tlu-ough 
St.  Peter's,  an  assassin  stabs  him.  It  is  not  a  mortal  wound  ;  but  on 
another  day  some  ruffians  steal  into  the  chamber  of  the  wounded  man, 
and  finish  him  by  strangulation,  and  the  Pope  knows  who  the  ruffians  are, 
and  it  is  whispered  that  he  hired  them  to  put  Lncretia's  husband  out  of 
the  wa3\ 

During  these  years  the  Spaniards  have  discovered  a  new  world  in  the 
West,  while  the  Portuguese  have  sailed  downi  the  coast  of  Africa,  discov- 
ered the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  opened  a  new  way  to  the  East;  and  the 
Pope  gives  America  to  Spain,  and  the  eastern  lands  to  Portugal. 

Being  God's  vicar  on  earth,  being  above  all  kings  and  emperors,  able 
to  give  away  crowns,  to  alienate  subjects  from  their  sovereigns,  compel- 
ling potentates  and  all  in  authority  to  kiss  his  feet,  owning  all  the  world, 
he  can  give  away  the  Western  continent  to  whomsoever  he  will,  as  if  it 
were  but  a  bit  of  land  which  he  had  always  owned,  and  no  one  may 
question  his  authority. 

The  Pope  loves  wine,  and  drinks  so  much  that  his  eyelids  gi-ow  heavy ; 
,  he  falls  asleep  in  his  chair  and  rolls  upon  the  floor,  but  the  business  of  the 
papacy  goes  on  just  the  same,  for  Lucretia  opens  his  lett€rs,  issues  orders 
to  the  Holy  Office,  to  the  cardinals,  and  bishops. 

The  Pope  is  fond  of  Lucretia,  and  wants  to  see  her  married  once  more, 
and  hnds  a  husband  in  the  Duke  of  Ferram. 

Some  of  the  princes  of  Italy  combine  against  the  Pope,  who  flnds  out 
what  is  going  on.  lie  soothes  them  with  honeyed  woixls,  and  invites  them 
to  a  banquet.  While  they  are  at  supj^er,  a  band  of  assassins  breaks  into 
the  hall.  The  Pope  and  Gcssar  slip  out  of  a  side  door,  while  the  assassins 
fall  upon  the  princes  and  put  three  of  them  to  death.  The  others  make 
their  escape. 

The  Pope  is  in  need  of  money ;  and  as  the  men  are  dead,  he  confiscates 
their  estates;  and  as  the  others  have  leagued  against  them,  he  throws  them 
into  prison  and  seizes  their  property. 

All  the  while  there  is  a  great  show  of  religion  in  Home.  The  priests 
go  every  day  in  procession  to  the  churches,  wearing  robes  embroidered 


170 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


with  crosses ;  after  they  have  pei-formed  mass,  they  spend  the  remainder 
of  the  time  in  idleness,  or  in  something  M'^orse. 

There  comes  a  night  in  August,  1503.  The  Pope  has  invited  nine  of 
the  cardinals  to  a  banquet.  He  has  a  little  scheme  which  he  wishes  to 
carry  out :  he  wants  to  make  Caesar  king.  To  do  that  he  must  have  more 
money ;  and  though  the  people  all  over  the  world  are  paying  him  Peter's- 
pence  and  purchasing  indulgences,  the  gold  does  not  come  in  as  fast  as 
he  would  like.     If  he  could  only  create  a  few  cardinals,  he  would  be  in 


15     IKOCtfeSluN 


funds,  for  he  can  sell  a  cardinal's  office  for  thirty  thousand  ducats.  If 
the  nine  cardinals  would  only  die,  he  could  reap  a  rich  harvest  —  more 
than  two  hundred  thousand  ducats — by  selling  their  offices!  With  such 
an  amount  of  money,  he  could  carry  on  war,  conquer  cities,  and  make 
Csesar  king. 

Cajsar  prepares  the  banquet  in  the  garden  of  the  Vatican.  It  will  be 
delightful  for  the  old  cardinals  to  sit  there  in  an  arbor  on  a  summer  night 
and  quaff  their  wine.  He  will  have  a  particular  kind  of  wine  for  them — 
one  cup,  which  none  but  the  nine  shall  drink.  He  prepares  it  himself,  and 
gives  it  into  the  hands  of  a  trusty  waiter. 


THE   MAN  WHO   CAN   DO   NO   WllOXG.  171 

"Let  no  one  drink  of  this  exec]>t  the  cai-diiiuls  :  it  is  for  them  alone. 
Be  cai-eful  now,"  he  says  to  the  servant. 

Tiie  servant  carries  tlie  flagon  into  the  arbor. 

"  Wliy  do  yon  put  that  goblet  by  itself  ?"  asks  the  vintner  who  has 
charge  of  the  wine. 

"  It  is  very  choice  wine.     On]y  the  cardinals  are  to  drink  it." 

The  Pope  and  Caesar  enter  the  ai-bor,  and  the  cardinals  will  soon  be 
there.  The  Pope  discovers  that  he  has  forgotten  to  put  his  charm  upon 
liis  neck.  It  is  a  precious  affair — a  gold  locket,  with  a  crumb  of  holy 
bread  in  it.  A  fortune-teller  has  assured  him  that  so  long  as  he  wears  it 
no  harm  can  come  to  him. 

"  Run  and  get  it;  you  will  find  it  on  my  table,"  he  says  to  the  servant 
who  has  brought  in  the  flagon  of  choice  wine. 

The  servant  hastens  awa}'. 

"  I  am  very  thirsty.  I  will  take  a  glass  of  wine,  if  you  please,"  he 
says  to  the  vintner. 

Is  there  any  wine  too  good  for  the  Pope  ?  The  vintner  thinks  not. 
He  will  give  him  some  of  the  choice  vintage  which  is  reserved  for  the  fa- 
vored few,  and  brings  a  glass  for  the  Pope,  and  another  for  Caesar. 

The  cardinals  come,  and  the  Pope  and  Caesar  receive  them  graciously, 
and  all  take  their  seats  at  the  table. 

But  suddenly  the  Pope  nttei's  a  piercing  cry,  and  rolls  upon  the  ground, 
lie  is  in  terrible  agony ;  and  Caesar  is  also  seized  with  excruciating  pains. 

There  is  running  here  and  there  for  doctors,  who  come  in  hot  haste. 

«  Poison  !" 

They  have  drunk  the  wine  which  was  prepared  for  the  cardinals. 
Caesar  recovers,  but  the  Pope  is  burning  up.  There  is  a  fire  in  his  bones. 
His  flesh  grows  putrid  ;  his  tongue  becomes  black,  and  hangs  from  his 
mouth ;  ulcers  break  out  upon  his  body,  which  swells  to  enormous  size. 
His  servants  flee.  There  is  no  one  to  care  for  him.  Alone  in  his  cham- 
ber, he  groans  till  death  relieves  his  sufferinirs. 


172  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   BOY   WHO   SUNG  FOR   HIS  BREAKFAST. 

ON  that  day  when  Christopher  Cohimbus  went  out  from  the  Alham- 
bra,  sad  and  dejected,  there  was  a  little  boy  in  a  town  in  Ger- 
many who  was  experiencing  a  sorrowful  childhood.  He  was  born  on  St. 
Martin's  Day,  14S3,  and  his  parents  have  christened  him  Martin.  They 
are  vei-y  poor.  The  father  is  a  miner,  and  works  hard  in  digging  copper 
ore  and  smelting  it.  The  family  have  little  to  eat  better  than  rye  bread 
and  herrings. 

Martin's  father  is  a  passionate  man,  and  his  mother  is  a  stern  woman. 
His  school-master  is  hard-hearted  and  cruel ;  and  between  the  three  the 
boy  gets  many  whippings.  His  lessons  are  dry  as  dust  —  the  Catechism, 
Ten  Commandments,  Apostles'  Creed,  the  Canticles,  Psalms,  and  Latin  ex- 
ercises. One  day  the  brute  of  a  master  punishes  him  not  less  than  fif- 
teen times!  There  is  no  joy  in  life.  He  hates  the  Catechism  and  the 
Creed,  but  makes  good  progress  in  Latin.  The  miner  has  sense  enough 
to  see  that  Martin  can  learn  very  little  in  such  a  school,  and  sends  him  to 
another,  taught  by  monks,  called  a  cw^rend  school.  The  boys  attending  it 
sing  in  the  churches  on  Sunday,  and  go  through  the  villages  early  every 
morning,  and  sing  before  the  burghers'  houses  for  a  bit  of  bread.  They, 
carry  little  tin  boxes  with  a  slit  in  the  cover,  and  the  bui-ghers'  now  and 
then  drop  in  money.  At  times  Martin  obtains  neither  money  nor  bread. 
On  Christmas  mornings  the  boys  go  out  earl}-,  Martin  singing  the  solos, 
and  the  others  joining  in  the  choruses.  The  solo  rises,  sweet  and  clear, 
upon  the  wintry  air : 

"Praises  now  from  all  on  earth! 

'Tis  tlie  day  of  Jesus'  birtli, 

Of  a  Virgin  born  in  sootli ; 

Angels  glory  o'er  the  youth. 

Kyrie  eleeson. 

"Only  cliild  of  God's  own  kind 
In  a  manger  shepiienls  find; 


THE   BOY   WHO   SUNG  FOR  IIlS   BREAKFAST. 


173 


God-babe  sent  our  sins  to  free 
By  suft"iing  our  humanity. 
Kyrie  eleeso7i." 

But  it  is  not  ahva\-s  Christinas,  and  there  are  days  when  tlie  boys  have 
little  to  eat.     Maitin  often  has  only  a  crust. .  He  grows  thin  and  pale  and 
weak.     What  shall  he  do  ?    His  father  is  so  poor  that  he  cannot  help  him ; 
the  monks  have  noth- 
ing to  give  him,  and 
if  the    burghers    do 
not  supply  him  with 
food,  he  must  starve. 

There  comes  a 
cold  and  bitter  morn- 
ing. Martin  goes  out 
to  sing  through  the 
streets,  but  the  burgh- 
ers do  not  like  to  be 
awakened  so  early, 
and  the  servants  are 
surly.  He  sings  be- 
fore a  house. 

"  Go  away !" 

It  is  a  gruff  voice 
that  he  hears,  and  he 
passes  on  to  anoth- 
er residence ;  but  as 
soon  as  he  begins  to 
sing,  the  door  opens, 
and  a  man's  head  is 
thrust  out. 

"  Clear  out  there  ! 
Don't  you  know  bet- 
ter than  to  disturb 
the  master  so  early  ?" 

He  will  get  noth- 
ing there,  and  moves 
on  to  a  third  house 
and  sings;  but  before  the  carol  is  finished 

"  Begone,  you  ragamuffin  !" 


THE    EARLY    3IORNING    CHAUT    AT    EISENACH. 


servant  comes  out  with  a  whip. 
Charity  is  frozen  on  this  winter  morning.     ^Yeak,  faint,  hungry,  dis- 


174 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


heartened,  he  turns  away.     What  shall  he  do?     Why  should  he  sing? 

No  one  will  give  him  bread. 

"  I  may  as  well  go  back  to  the  convent  and  die,"  he  says  to  himself. 
He  is  standing  before  Conrad  Cotta's  house.     The  owner  is  a  rich 

burgher.      No  one  is  astir  about  the  premises  that  he  can  see.      The 

daylight  is  streaming  up  the  east,  and  the  burghers  of  the  town  will 

soon  be  eating  their 
breakfasts  ;  then 
they  will  be  off  to 
their  shops.  Oh,  if 
he  but  once  in  life 
could  eat  all  that  he 
wanted  ! 

Shall  he  sing? 
Herr  Cotta  is 
one  of  the  chief  men 
of  the  town  ;  will 
he  not  rush  out  and 
whip  him  ?  The 
tears  roll  down  the 
boy's  cheeks  as  he 
stands  there,  irreso- 
lute. 

Sing,  boy  !  sing ! 
The  ages  are  wait- 
ing for  you.  Sing ! 
sing!  All  the  world 
will  hear  you.  God 
knows  what  will 
come  of  it. 

Sweet  and  clear, 
his  voice  rises  on  the 
morning  air.  The 
door  opens,  and  Ur- 
sula Cotta  stands 
upon  the  threshold 
beckoning  to  him. 
Little  does  Ursula  Cotta  know  what  will  come  from  that  lifting  of 

her  hand.     She  has  seen  the  poor  boy  dri\'en  from  the  neighbors'  houses, 
and  the  harsh  words  addressed  to  him  have  filled  her  with  pain.     She  has 


URSULA    COTTA    AND    MARTIN    LUTHER. 


THE   BOY   WHO   SUNG   FOR   IIIS   BREAKFAST.  175 

seen  him  on  Sunday,  and  has  recognized  his  voice  as  being  sweeter  than 
all  other  voices  in  the  choir.  She  will  give  him  a  good  meal.  lie 
goes  up  the  steps.  She  takes  him  by  the  hand,  leads  him  into  the  house. 
He  goes  to  a  warm  breakfast  and  a  home ;  henceforth  Ursula  Cotta  will 
be  a  mother  to  him.  Now  he  can  go  to  school  and  study  all  day,  sleep 
sweetly  at  night,  and  have  all  he  can  eat  at  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper. 
The  scowl  disappears  from  his  face.     He  is  no  longer  dogged  and  sullen, 


but  bubbling  over  with  joy;  and  in  a  short  time,  so  diligently  does  he 
apply  himself,  that  he  is  fitted  to  enter  the  university,  where  he  masters 
the  Latin  language,  till  he  can  speak  it  as  fluently  as  his  mother-tongue. 

One  day,  while  in  the  university  library  looking  at  the  books,  he  comes 
upon  an  old  volume  into  which  none  of  the  students  or  monks  ever  look. 
He  brushes  the  dust  from  the  covers,  opens  to  the  title-page,  and  sees 


176 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


that  it  is  the  Bible.  He  has  heard  of  the  book,  but  never  before  has  he 
seen  a  copy.  It  is  in  Latin.  He  turns  the  leaves,  but  his  eye  falls  upon 
an  interesting  story  about  a  boy  who  tended  the  lamps  in  the  sanctuary 
on  the  green  hills  of  Shiloh.  IS'ever  has  he  read  so  interesting  a  story. 
Of  all  books  in  the 


library  none  are  so 
entertaining  as  this. 
He  reads  the  volume 
at  every  leisure  mo- 
ment.  The  other  stu- 

1  dents  spend  much 
time  in  celebrating 
festivals,  marching 
through  the  streets; 
but  he  has  no  time 
for  play,  and  even  on 

{  holidays,  when  all 

•{  the  inhabitants  turn 
out  and  decorate  the 
streets,  he  is  busy 
with  his  books.  He 
is  thirsting  for  knowl- 

"I  edge,  and  makes  such 
})rogres3  in  his  stud- 
ios that  before  he  is 
twenty -seven  years 
old  he  is  made  a 
doctor  of  philosophy; 
and  his  fellow -stu- 
dents, proud  of  their 
young  doctor,  make 
a  grand  parade,  con- 
duct him  to  the  hall 
of  the  university,  and 
install  him  as  their 
professor's  chair. 


THE    AUGUSTINE    FRIARS. 


teacher,  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  in  hi 

And  now,  instead  of  reciting  creeds  and  catechisms,  he  is  giving  lect- 
ures, and  is  so  earnest  and  eloquent  timt  students  come  from  far  to  listen 
to  his  teaching.  There  comes  a  night  when  he  invites  all  the  students  to 
take  supper  with  him.     The}'  drink  his  healtli  in  foaming  mugs  of  beer. 


THE   BOY   WHO   SUNG   FOR   HIS   BREAKFAST.  177 

lie  rises  to  make  a  speech.  They  hurrah  and  clap  their  hands.  But 
never  have  they  seen  the  young  doctor  so  sober.  lie  informs  them  that 
it  is  tlie  last  time  they  will  meet  together,  lie  has  decided  to  resign  his 
professorship  and  become  a  monk.     They  are  astounded. 

"  Become  a  monk  !" 

"  Yes." 

"  Shut  yourself  ii})  in  a  convent,  shave  your  head,  go  barefoot,  and 
wear  a  hair  shirt !" 

'^  Yes." 

He  bids  them  good-bye,  leaves  the  room,  aud  at  midnight  knocks  at 
the  gate  of  the  convent  of  the  Augustine  monks.  The  door  turns  on  its 
hinges,  and  Doctor  Martin  Luther  passes  in,  and  the  door  closes  upon  him. 
Morning  comes.  The  professor's  chair  in  the  university  is  vacant,  while 
the  professor  who  has  occupied  it  is  kneeling  on  the  cold  stone  floor  of  his 
cell,  saying  his  prayers.  He  is  dead  to  the  world,  and  the  world  is  dead 
to  him  :  he  studies  ;  he  spends  his  time  in  praying ;  he  fasts,  eating  only 
a  few  morsels  of  bread ;  he  grows  thin  and  pale,  till  he  is  only  skin  and 
bones  —  trying  in  this  way  to  get  rid  of  his  sins.  He  begs  his  living. 
Shouldering  a  bag,  he  goes  through  the  villages,  asking  the  people  for 
bread,  cheese,  geese,  chickens — or  anything  that  Avill  support  life.  Martin 
before  long,  however,  discovers  that  the  monks,  instead  of  being  holier 
than  other  men,  have  like  passions,  and  ai-e  ready  to  help  themselves  to 
the  best  of  the  things  given  them  by  tlie  people.  There  are  frequent  dis- 
putes which  the  prior  has  to  settle. 

And  what  do  the  people  receive  in  return  for  their  gifts  I     Nothing. 

12 


178  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

WPIAT   THE   BOY  WHO   SUNG   FOR   HIS   BREAKFAST   SAW   IN   ROME. 

THERE  is  a  dispute  between  the  Augustine  monks  of  Germany  and 
the  vicar  who  superintends  them.  The  monks  object  to  some  of  his 
proceedings.  It  is  a  dispute  which  only  the  Pope — the  man  who  can  do 
no  wrong — can  settle.  The  monks  choose  Friar  Martin  to  go  to  Rome 
and  lay  the  matter  before  the  Pope.  Friar  Martin  is  able  and  eloquent. 
Pie  has  read  all  the  works  of  the  fathers,  and  he,  of  all  others,  will  best 
plead  their  cause.  Although  the  journey  is  a  long  one,  Friar  Martin  is 
pleased  to  make  it,  for  Rome  is  the  Eternal  City,  where  dwells  the  head  of 
the  Church — the  holy  man  who  is  God's  representative  on  earth,  who  can- 
not possibly  do  anything  that  is  not  right.  To  visit  Rome  will  be  like 
going  to  the  very  gate  of  heaven. 

The  monks  give  Brother  Martin  their  blessing  and  benediction,  and  he 
starts  upon  his  journey.  Although  there  are  thousands  of  monks  tramping 
through  Germany — so  many  that  the  people  compare  them  to  the  grass- 
hoppers that  eat  up  their  fields  of  corn — yet  they  do  not  refuse  him  a  bit 
of  bread-and-cheese,  and  at  the  convents  he  finds  good  cheer  among  the 
brothers.  He  crosses  the  Rhine  ;  climbs  the  Alps,  M'here  the  shepherds 
are  tending  their  flocks  ;  passes  along  deep  gorges,  where  the  water  tum- 
bles and  foams  to  the  lakes  below,  and  where  the  rocks  rise  so  high,  so 
sharp  and  steep,  that  at  noon  it  is  only  twilight.  He  sees  the  avalanches 
roll  from  the  mountains  with  a  roar  like  thunder.  Fai-  above  him  the  icy 
peaks  gleam  in  the  sunshine.  He  climbs  above  the  clouds,  crosses  fields 
of  snow,  goes  over  the  summit,  descends  the  southern  slope,  and  finds 
himself,  as  it  were,  in  another  world.  How  pure  the  air  !  How  deep  and 
tender  the  light!  A  blue  haze  rests  upon  the  mountains.  Fresh  and 
green  the  fields;  wide -spreading  the  chestn  ut- trees ;  fertile  the  slopes, 
where  the  peasants  are  planting  their  vineyards.  He  reaches  the  plains 
of  Italy,  and  beholds  ruins  around  him — marble  pillars,  beautifully  sculpt- 
ured once,  but  broken  now.  The  Italian  brothers  of  his  order  -welcome 
him  t©  their  monasteries  ;  but  he  is  surprised  to  see  how  luxuriously  they 


WHAT  THE  BOY  WHO  SUNG  FOR   HIS  BREAKFAST  SAW  IX  ROME.     170 

live.  Thej  make  themselves  merry  with  wine,  sing  songs,  tell  unseemly 
stories,  and  then  rattle  off  Pater-nosters  and  masses  glibly,  to  get  thron^i-h 
with  them  as  soon  as  possible,  that  they  may  take  another  pull  at  the  wine, 
or  indulge  in  other  pleasures. 

Italy  is  an  old  land,  and  Friar  Martin  is  well  acquainted  \vitli  its  hi.s- 
tory — how  the  Empire  of  Rome  rose  and  fell.     He  gazes  ujjon  the  sculpt- 


'^-:0^<m 

w  ^ . 

OVER    THK    MOUNTAINS. 


nred  marbles  and  broken  columns,  and  recalls  the  time  when  Rome  was 
in  her  glory,  witli  an  empire  reaching  from  India  to  England.  He  comes 
to  the  Campagna — the  wide  plain  tlirough  which  winds  the  River  Tiber. 
He  sees  the  Aqueduct,  which  the  old  Romans  built  to  bring  water  into  the 
city  from  the  Albanian  hills.  And  there,  in  the  distance,  are  the  gleam- 
ing spires  of  the   city— the  one  spot  of  all  othei-s  on  earth  that  he  has 


180  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

longed  to  see.  He  falls  on  his  face  and  gives  thanks  to  God.  "  Holy 
Rome  !  I  salute  thee  !"  he  cries,  in  ecstasy.  He  passes  through  the  mas- 
sive gate -way,  walks  with  reverent  feet   the   narrow  streets,  enters  the 


churches,  one  after  anotlier,  to  say  his  prayers  and  thank  God  anew  that 
he  is  in  the  holy  city.  He  almost  wishes  that  his  father  and  mother  were 
not  alive ;  for  if  they  were  dead  and  in  purgatory,  what  unspeakable  pleas- 
ure there  would  be  in  obtaining  their  release  by  his  prayers,  which  he  re- 
peats in  every  church  ! 

How  inspiring  to  stand  in  the  old  Forum  where,  a  century  before 
Christ  was  born,  Cicero  gave  utterance  to  his  innnortal  orations !  The 
past  rises  before  Friar  Martin.  He  sees,  in  imagination,  the  audience  of 
old  Romans  listening  to  Cicero.  One  of  his  auditors  is  Julius  Csesar,  six 
years  younger  than  the  orator :  he  has  led  the  armies  of  Rome  in  triumph 
through  Gaul,  has  crossed  the  sea  to  the  land  of  the  Angles,  where  men 
wear  skins  of  beasts  for  clothing,  and  where  Druids  venerate  the  stately 
oaks,  and  offer  human  sacrifices  to  their  deity. 

Another  of  Cicero's  auditors  is  a  general  who  has  led  the  armies  to 
victory  in  the  East — Pompey — he  who  profaned  the  Ten] pie  at  Jerusalem 
by  entering  into  the  most  holy  place. 


WHAT  THE  BOY  WHO  SUNG  FOR  HIS  BREAKFAST  SAW  IN  ROME.     181 

General  Cato  is  another  listener — a  man  witli  a  soul  so  calm  and  se- 
rene that  nothing  disturbs  him. 

And  still  anotlier  general  is  there  —  Mark  Antony  —  a  wild,  reckless 
debauchee,  M'ho  fills  Rome  with  riot  and  disorder. 

Two  poets  are  in  the  audience  listening  to  Cicero's  eloquence — Virgil 
and  Horace,  and  a  historian — Sallust ;  tliey  are  boys.  Artd  there  is  one 
more — Seneca.  Friar  Martin  has  read  their  works ;  and  there  he  is  upon 
the  spot  where  the  poets,  perhaps,  have  recited  their  own  poems  to  the 
people  of  old  Rome. 

He  w^alks  along  a  street,  past  the  Temple  of  Jupiter,  and  comes  to  the 
Temple  of  Peace,  and  looks  up  to  its  miglity  arches,  reared  by  Vespasian, 
to  receive  the  spoils  which  he  brought  from  Jerusalem ;  and  the  poor  Jews 
whom  he  brought  as  prisoners  were  compelled  to  work  in  the  clay-pits, 
making  bricks  for  the  construction  of  the  edifice  commemorative  of  their 
humiliation. 

Near  by  it  is  the  Arch  of  Titus.     What  a  story  in  its  time-worn  stones 


XlIE    I'LACE    WHEKE    CICEKO    DELIVERED    HIS    OKATKJNS. 


182 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


— the  history  of  a  perishing,  and  yet  imperishable,  people  !  The  Trium- 
phal Arch  was  erected  to  glorify  the  man  who  thought  he  Jiad  crushed 
them  out  forever.  In  the  sculptured  stones  Friar  Martin  sees  the  proces- 
sion of  Roman  soldiers  bringing  the  silver  trumpets,  the  golden  candle- 
stick, the  table  of  showbread — the  sacred  furniture  of  the  Jewish  Temple, 
and  escorting  the  weeping  maidens,  the  stalwart  warriors  of  the  conquered 
race,  prisoners  of  war,  doomed  to  hopeless  captivity. 

On  the  hill  overlooking  the  Forum  is  the  Capitol — the  once  magnifi- 
cent marble  palace,  with  its  majestic  columns,  mosaic  pavements,  courts, 
and  passage-ways,  adorned  with  statues  of  nymphs,  fauns,  and  satyrs,  and 


BUILDING    WHICH    THE    JKWS    EKECTKl). 


before  which  is  the  statue  of  the  emperor  Marcus  Aurelius.  Fron:!  this 
palace  once  was  issued  a  decree  that  all  the  world  should  be  taxed;  and 
so  it  happened  that  a  poor  man  in  Judea  started  on  a  long  journey  with 
his  wife,  to  give  in  his  name  to  the  tax-assessor,  and  could  find  no  room  in 
the  tavern  at  night,  and  Avas  forced  to  lie  down  in  a  stable  with  the  cattle, 
where,  during  the  night,  a  babe  was  born — babe  of  all  others  most  wonder- 
ful !  From  this  palace  was  issued  the  order  for  the  beheading  of  Peter 
and  Paul ;  and  in  yonder  prison,  in  a  deep,  dark  dungeon,  Paul  was  con- 
fined. 

It  is  not  the  palace  of  the  emperors  of  Pome,  but  the  places  where 


WHAT  THE  BOY  WHO  SUNG  FOR  HIS  BREAKFAST  SAW  IX  ROME.     185 

(Christian  martyrs  have  suffered,  that  most  attract  the  attention  of  Fj-iar 
Martin.  It  was  in  the  Coliseum  that  they  were  torn  to  pieces  by  the  wild 
l)easts,  to  gratify  the  heathen  populace  of  Rome.     Jewish  captives  built  it, 


AKtII    Ul-    TITUS 


and  the  mortar  of  the  masonry  was  mixed  with  their  tears.  In  the  arena 
those  who  would  not  abjure  their  faith  in  Christ  were  eaten  by  lions.  In 
the  great  edifice,  rising  tier  above  tier,  the  people  looked  down  upon  the 
spectacle— emperor,  patrician,  plebeian— and  not  one  heart  in  all  the  vast 


186 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


Tllb    COLlslUM 


What  joy  to  behold  the  hated 
fair  maidens  torn  in  pieces  and 


assembly  moved  to  pity  at  the  sight. 
Christians  tossed  to  the  beasts  — to  see 

'"Tirlught  does  „ot  co,„e  to  Fria,-  Mavtin  that  the  ™-  ;*°  -^ 
questions  in  Spain,  at  that  very  moment  are  voastmg  men  by  the  thou- 
Ll;  while  tl'eve  ^ve.e  only  a  score  or  two  thrown  to  the  hons  and  t.gers 

*"  t^Z.  finds  that  the  Pope,  Julius  II.,  is  an  old  n>an,  with  a 
lono.  white  bea,d.     He  sits  in  a  golden  chair,  wearing  gorgeous  robes  e,n- 
hlioned  with  diamonds  and  jewels.     Palm-Snnday  comes,  and  rtrere 
grand  procession.     The  Pope  bears  a  silver  plate  on  Ins  breast,  on  wlnh 
there  is  a  iigure  o£  the  Al.nighty.     It  is  of  pure  gold,  surrounded  by  cost- 

''  'Tl,e'cardinals  appear  in  their  red  hats,  red  gown,  i^d  stockings,  and 
sliplrs  One  of  thenr  is  known  as  the  "Boy-cardinal."  H,s  nam  rs 
jCde'  Medici,  His  father  lived  in  Florence  and  was  -ry  r.cJn  We,. 
John  was  only  seven  years  old,  his  father  bought  an  abbot's  o"  -- 
An  abbot  had  charge  of  a  monastery,  and  the  monks  ca  led  the  boy  hen 
father "    Quite  likely  some  of  them  s.niled  when  they  thus  addressed  h>m. 


I 


WHAT  THE  BOY  WHO  SUNG  FOR  HIS  BREAKFAST  SAW  IN  ROME.     187 


When  he  was  fourteen,  his  father  bought  a  cardinal's  office  for  him,  and 
John  put  on  his  red  hat,  slippers,  and  gown,  and  became  one  of  the  Pope's 
councillors.  He  owns  a  villa,  and  lives  in  grand  style.  He  loves  music, 
painting,  sculpture,  and  poetry.  He  spends  all  of  his  income  in  giving 
entertainments  to  his  brother -cardinals,  and  the  poets,  artists,  and  musi- 
cians. He  sets  before  them  the  choicest  wines,  and  all  the  delicions  fruits 
of  the  season.  Sometimes  he  even  pawns  his  gold  and  silver  dishes  to  ob- 
tain money  enough  to  give  __     _ 

a  banquet ;  for  he  is  think- 
ing that  the  Pope  may  not 
live  always,  and  possibly,  if 
he  is  hospitable  to  his  broth- 
er -  cardinals  and  to  those 
who  influence  public  opin- 
ion, he  may  be  elected  Ju- 
lius's successor. 

In  the  procession  are  a 
great  number  of  bishops — 
Armenian,  Syrian,  Greek, 
and  Roman — wearing  mag- 
nificent dresses,  blazing  with 
jewels.  The  young  friai 
from  Germany  never  dream- 
ed that  there  was  such  wealth 
in  the  world  as  he  sees 
aronnd  him. 

The  Pope's  chamberlain? 
walk  by  his  side,  carrying 
fans  made  of  peacocks'  tails. 
The  cross-bearei's  go  before, 
bearing  huge  silver  crosses. 
One  official  carries  the  triple 
crown,  set  with  costly  dia- 
monds and  jewels. 

The  Pope  sits  in  his  gold- 
en chair,  on  a  litter,  which  is 
taken  up  by  stout  men,  and 
borne  upon  their  shoulders. 

An  officer  carries  a  golden   mace  —  the  emblem  of  authority;  and 
there  is  a  great  following  of  princes,  counts,  abbots,  priests,  and  monks. 


FAN-BEAREKS 


188 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


On  Corpus  Christi  Day  the  Pope  is  carried  around  St.  Peter's  Church, 
seated  in  his  golden  chair,  witli  all  the  prelates  of  the  Church  in  his  train, 

and  his  body-guard  march- 
ing by  his  side  with  drawn 
swords  —  not  that  anybody 
will  harm  him,  but  to  add 
to  the  pomp  and  grandeur 
I  of  the  occasion.  The  people 
kneel,  and  the  Pope  throws 
a  blessing  to  them  from  the 
ends  of  his  fingers. 
'  Friar  Martin   sees  won- 

(  derf  111  things  in  the  churches. 
I  In  one  he  beholds  the  Holy 
i'  Baby  —  a  rag  doll,  which 
performs  more  cures  than 
all  the  physicians  in  Rome. 
It  IS  taken  to  the  chambers 
of  the  sick,  and  its  presence 
heals  disease.  The  people 
M  01  ship  it,  offer  costly  gifts, 
^  ^^hich  go  —  they  know  not 
to  whom.  The  doll  per- 
il forms  miracles.  Men  fall- 
ing  from  the  tops  of  houses 
have  called  upon  the  baby 
to  save  them,  and  have  not 
been  harmed.  Drowning 
men  have  called  upon  it  to 
rescue  them,  and  they  have 
been  saved.  A  lady  fell 
from  the  roof  of  a  high 
building,  and  prayed  to  the 
doll,  and  the  fall  was  arrested  in  mid-air.  Tlie  lady  was  so  grateful  for 
her  preservation  that  she  gave  an  immense  sum  of  money  to  the  doll,  and 
had  a  picture  painted  representing  the  scene. 

Every  church  has  its  holy  relics.  In  one  are  the  boards  of  the  manger 
in  which  Christ  was  laid  at  his  birth.  He  sees  the  Yirgin  Mary's  cloth- 
ing, one  of  St.  Peter's  ril)s,  a  part  of  John  the  Baptist's  skull,  and  no  end 
of  saintly  bones — all  very  precious  and  holy. 


CAKKYING    THK    POPES    CROWN. 


WHAT  THE  BOY  WHO  SUNG  FOR  HIS  BREAKFAST  SAW  IN  ROME.     ISO 

The  people  worship  the  rehcs,  and  gaze  upon  tliem  with  reverential 
awe.  In  St.  Peter's  Church  they  form  in  a  long  line  to  kiss  the  foot  of 
St.  Peter's  statue,  which  has  stood  there  for  many  centui-ies  :  so  many  have 
pressed  their  lips  to  the  great-toe  that  it  is  worn  to  a  stub.  Some  scep- 
tical persons  maintain  that  the  statue  is  not  Peter's,  but  an  old  heathen 
statue  of  Jupiter;  that,  however,  does  not  diminish  the  devotion  of  the 
multitude. 

Julius  II.,  the  Pope,  is  at  the  head  of  his  army.  Ever  since  his  elec- 
tion, in  1506,  he  has  been  at  war — lighting  the  Venetians,  the  Germans, 
and  the  French,  at  times ;  then,  making  alliance  with  the  Venetians  and 
Germans,  he  has  waged  a  vigorous  war  against  Louis  XII.  of  France.  He 
lights  not  only  in  the  field,  but  in  the  cabinet.  He  has  bribed  Henry 
VIII.  of  England  and  Ferdinand  of  Spain  to  attack  France,  and  has 
taken  the  money  which  the  good  people  have  contributed  to  support  the 


Church  to  pay  an  army  of  Swiss,  which  he  has  hired  to  light  against  the 
French.  He  has  issued  a  bull  releasing  the  subjects  of  Louis  from  their 
allegiance. 

Just  before  Friar  Martin  arrives  in  Pome,  the  Pope  goes  out  with  his 


190 


THE   STOllY   OF   LIBERTY. 


troops  to  attack  the  town  of  Miraiidola,  accompanied  by  all  tlie  cardinals 
and  bishops.  His  army  surrounds  the  town.  The  Pope  plants  the  cannon, 
directs  the  soldiers  where  to  attach,  and  issues  his  oi'ders  as  commander-in- 


chief.  Day  after  day  the  siege  goes  on.  The  Pope  did  not  expfect  such 
a  stubborn  resistance,  but  he  is  only  the  more  determined  to  conquer ;  and 
when  at  last  the  town  surrenders,  he  climbs  a  scaling-ladder,  sword  in 
hand,  mounts  the  wall,  followed  by  his  troops,  who  rush  through  the 
streets,  enter  the  houses,  plunder  the  people,  and  connnit  terrible  outrages 
upon  the  men,  women,  and  children. 

The  Pope  sends  an  army  to  Ravenna,  an  allied  army,  composed  of 
Spanish,  Swiss,  Germans,  and  Venetians,  all  leagued  against  the  French. 
The  armies  meet  on  a  plain  near  the  cit}'.  The  French  are  commanded 
by  a  young  general,  Gaston  de  Foix,  who,  though  he  is  only  thirty  years 
old,  has  won  many  victories.  The  commander  of  the  Pope's  army  is  John 
de'  Medici,  the  Boy -cardinal,  who  hnows  nothing  about  war,  but  who 
can  give  grand  entertainments.  There  are  about  thirty-five  thousand  in 
each  army.  All  day  long  the  battle  rages,  but  Avhen  night  comes  the 
Pope's  ai-my  is  a  routed  rabble,  and  the  Boy-cardinal  a  prisoner.     Though 


WHAT  THE  BOY  WHO  SUNG  FOR  HIS  BREAKFAST  SAW  IX  ROME.     191 

tlie  French  have  won  the  victory,  their  brave  leader  hes  beneath  a  heap 
of  slain.  Each  army  has  lost  nearly  ten  thonsatid  men  in  this  conflict, 
M-hich  is  only  one  of  many  fought  on  the  plains  of  Italy;  and  for  M'hat? 
That  the  Pope  may  drive  the  French  out  of  the  provinces  which  Roderick 
Borgia  (Alexander  VI.)  had  given  to  Louis  a  few  years  before. 

Friar  Martin  did  not  expect  to  hear  the  beating  of  drums,  nor  the 
blare  of  trumpets,  neither  to  behold  the  Pope  marching  at  the  head  of  his 
troops  through  the  streets  of  holy  Rome.  He  had  thought  of  the  city  as 
being,  as  it  were,  a  suburb  of  heaven ;  but  he  finds  it  a  military  town. 
The  Pope  is  such  a  lighter  that  the  people  call  him  "general."  A  witty 
man  writes  a  paper  which  sets  everybody  to  laughing,  representing  Julius, 
after  he  is  dead,  as  knocking  at  the  gate  of  heaven  for  admission. 

"  Who  is  there  ?"  Peter  asks,  looking  down  from  the  top  of  the  wall. 

"Julius." 

"Never  heard  of  you  before.  AVhat  have  you  done?  Give  an  account 
of  yourself." 

"  I  have  been  fighting  for  you.  I  have  marched  with  my  armies, 
captured  cities.     I  entered  one  place  sword  in  hand." 

"That  is  not  satisfactory.     I  can't  let  you  in." 

"Not  let  me  in,  after  lighting  so  bravely?" 

"  No." 

"Why  not?" 

"My  soldiers  fight  only  with  the  sword  of  the  Spirit." 

"  If  you  don't  let  me  in,  I'll  bring  up  my  cannon,  and  batter  down  your 
walls,  as  I  did  the  walls  of  Mirandola." 

And  so,  fearing  that  Julius  will  be  as  good  as  his  word,  Peter  opens 
the  gate  and  lets  him  in.  People  say  that  the  learned  man  of  Holland, 
Doctor  Erasmus,  M-rote  it;  but  the  doctor  will  not  acknowledge  that  it 
came  from  his  pen. 

Friar  Martin  visits  one  of  the  churches,  that  he  may  say  his  prayei's 
on  the  marble  steps  of  the  holy  stairs  up  which  Christ  walked  when  he 
was  brouglit  before  Pilate  in  Jerusalem.  He  kneels  upon  the  lower  step 
and  says  a  Pater-noster,  for  which  he  will  obtain  lifty  years'  release  from 
purgatory.  He  goes  up  another  step,  and  repeats  the  prayer.  He  has 
gained  one  hundred  years.  He  moves  another  step,  and  icpeats  it.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  years  has  been  gained. 

^'' The  just  shall  live  by  faith.'''' 

Who  spoke  ?  Was  it  one  of  the  monks  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  who 
takes  money  from  those  who  ascend  them  ?  Was  it  one  of  the  swarm 
of  beggars  who  hold  out  their  hands  at  the  bottom,  and  also  at  the  top  of 


192 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


the  stairs  ?     Was  it  a  fellow-pilgrim  ?     ISTone  of  these.    Who  then  ?    Friar 
Martin  certainly  heard  a  voice.    He  stops  in  the  middle  of  the  Pater-noster, 

looks  around,  springs  to 
his  feet,  and  goes  down 
the  steps. 

Many  times  has  he 
read  those  M'ords,  and 
now,  like  a  flash  of  light- 
ning from  a  cloudless 
sk}^,  they  blaze  upon  his 
soul.  He  leaves  the 
church,  greatly  wonder- 
ing, and  thinking  as  he 
never  has  thought  be- 
fore. 

The  longer  he  stays 
in  Rome,  the  more  is  he 
dissatisfied  with  what  he 
sees.  He  discovers  that 
the  Pope,  the  cardinals, 
bishops,  and  priests  ai-e, 
for  the  most  part,  very 
far  from  being  the  pure 
men  he  had  supposed 
them  to  be.  The  Pope 
is  a  military  chieftain. 
The  cardinals  are  liv- 
ing sensual  lives.  The 
money  which  is  con- 
tributed by  the  good  people  of  every  land  for  the  Church  is  squandered 
in  riotous  living  or  for  the  support  of  armies.  It  is  no  longer  holy  Rome ; 
the  city  instead  is  a  sink  of  iniquity.  Crime  goes  unpunished.  Men  are 
robbed  and  murdered  at  noonday.  The  offices  of  the  Church  are  bought 
and  sold,  just  as  men  buy  and  sell  houses  or  cattle.  The  nunneries  and 
monasteries,  instead  of  being  retreats  for  prayers,  meditation,  and  holy 
living,  are  vile  places.  Cardinals,  bishops,  priests,  monks,  and  nuns,  all 
live  upon  the  treasure  contributed  by  the  people,  or  taken  from  them  by 
tithes,  or  obtained  by  the  sale  of  indulgences  and  pardons.  He  turns  his 
steps  homeward,  sick  at  heart  with  what  he  has  seen. 


THE   BOY- CARDINAL.  193 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   BOY-CARDINAL. 

IT  is  a  great  day  in  Rome,  the  11th  of  April,  1513.  One  of  the  grandest 
processions  ever  seen  in  the  city  is  passing  through  the  streets,  escort- 
ing the  newly  elected  Pope  to  St.  Peter's.  Julius  is  dead,  and  the  cardi- 
nals have  elected  as  his  successor  the  man  who  was  defeated  at  Ravenna 
by  Gaston  de  Foix,  the  man  wdio  loves  pictures,  statues,  poetry,  and  music, 
who  gives  sumptuous  entertainments,  and  who  pawns  his  silver  plate  to 
obtain  money  for  a  grand  banquet  —  the  Boy- cardinal,  John  de'  Medici. 
He  has  had  his  eye  on  tlie  Pope's  chair  for  a  long  while,  and  all  of  his 
grand  dinners  have  been  given  with  the  view  of  making  himself  so  agree- 
able that  when  the  time  should  come  for  electing  a  new  Pope,  he  would 
step  into  Julius's  shoes.  He  is  no  longer  to  be  known  as  the  Boy-cardinal, 
but  as  Leo  X.  He  is  amiable  and  kind-hearted.  He  never  will  mount 
a  scaling-ladder,  and  enter  a  city  sword  in  liand ;  he  will  stay  in  Rome, 
and  gather  painters,  sculptors,  and  poets  around  him.  He  loves  their 
society.  He  loves  good  dinners  and  good  wine,  and  drinks  so  much  at 
times  that  he  becomes  limber  in  the  legs.  His  garments  glitter  with 
diamonds  and  jewels.  He  rides  a  superb  horse.  Triumphal  arches  have 
been  erected  along  the  streets,  marble  statues  set  up,  and  banners  flung 
to  the  breeze.  Bright-eyed  girls  strew  flowers  along  the  way,  and  the 
multitude  kneel  as  he  passes  by  in  his  gorgeous  coach.  In  the  evening 
Leo  gives  a  magnificent  banquet.  Since  the  days  of  the  emperors  of  old 
Rome,  there  has  been  no  such  feast.  The  rarest  and  richest  luxuries 
are  spread  upon  the  tables,  and  the  choicest  wine  of  Italy  is  drunk  from 
golden  goblets. 

As  soon  as  the  new  Pope  is  seated  on  his  throne  he  lays  his  plans 
for  the  future.  He  will  have  a  new  church  edifice  —  the  grandest  in 
all  Christendom.  He  will  have  it  adorned  with  the  richest  marbles. 
Among  the  architects  whom  he  employs  is  Michael  Angelo,  the  greatest 
of  all. 

Fortunately,  that  gray-bearded  man,  Christopher  Columbus,  has  discov- 

13 


194 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


ered  a  new  world,  rich  in  silver  and  gold,  and  the  wealth  of  those  distant 
lands  is  beginning  to  flow  to  Europe  ;  while  England,  France,  Spain,  Ger- 
many, and  Holland  are  increasing  in  riches.  There  are  few  heretics  now, 
for  the  men  who  ask  questions  have  roasted  nearly  all  of  them  to  death. 


Tiiii  rui'E ; 


The  people  everywhere  love  and  honor  the  Pope,  and  are  ready  to  give 
liberally  to  enable  him  to  build  his  great  church.  He  sends  the  Gospel  to 
their  very  doors,  so  that  everywhere  the  poor,  as  well  as  the  rich,  can  pur- 
chase salvation  not  only  for  themselves,  but  for  their  friends  in  purgatory. 
The  Pope  is  very  kind  and  accommodating.  He  bestows  his  blessings 
f  i-eely — blessing  the  people,  the  bells  in  the  churches,  even  blesses  horses ! 


THE   BOY- CARDINAL. 


191 


Anybody  can  secure  salvation   or  buy  a  blessing.      Priests,  monks,  and 
friars  travel  np  and  down  the  country  selling  indulgences. 

One  of  the  Pope's  agents  for  tbe  sale  of  indulgences  is  a  fat  friar,  with 
a  thundering  voice — John  Tetzeb  He  is  from  Leipsic,  in  Germany,  John 
does  not  give  himself  to  fasting,  but  eats  fat  meat  and  drinks  good  wine. 
He  rides  in  a  carriage  drawn  by  three  horses.  Once  he  committed  a 
crime,  and  was  sewed  up  in  a  sack,  and  was  about  to  be  thrown  into  the 


THK    rOPE    IN    UlS    CARRIAGK 


river,  but  the  judge  concluded  not  to  put  him  to  death;  and  now  he  is 
carrying  the  Gospel  about  the  country,  with  a  cavalcade  of  horsemen  to 
escort  him  and  protect  him  from  robbers. 

Just  before  he  enters  a  town,  the  sheriff  passes  through  the  streets  with 
a  trumpeter.  The  people  hear  the  sounding  of  the  trumpet,  and  rush  out 
from  their  houses  to  see  what  is  going  on, 

"  The  grace  of  God  and  St,  Peter  is  before  your  gates,"  shouts  the 
sheriff. 

The  good  news  spreads.  The  Gospel  has  come.  Now  they  can  pur- 
chase salvation,  and  lelease  their  friends  from   the  pains  of  purgatory. 


198 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


The  people  form  in  procession,  the  priests  leading.  Then  come  the  school- 
children, the  monks,  friars,  and  nuns,  and  a  great  number  of  citizens  carry- 
ing banners  and  lighted  candles.  They  meet  Friar  Tetzel,  and  escort  him, 
in  his  gilded  coach,  to  the  church,  singing  and  shouting,  for  it  is  a  joyful 
day.  The  procession  enters  the  church,  the  organ  peals,  a  chant  is  sung, 
the  cross  is  placed  in  front  of  the  altar,  and  the  Pope's  arms  suspended 
upon  it.     Tetzel  takes  his  position  in  the  pulpit. 

"  Come,  friends,  and  buy  my  pardons,  buy  my  indulgences.     You  can 


BLESSING   HORSES. 


release  your  friends  from  purgatory.  Do  you  not  hear  them  say,  '  We  are 
enduring  horrible  torments  V     A  small  sura  will  deliver  them." 

The  people  shudder  at  the  words.  Their  friends  in  purgatory  !  They 
will  release  them  at  once. 

"  The  very  instant  the  money  chinks  in  the  box  their  souls  will  fly 
toward  heaven,"  says  Tetzel. 

But  there  are  some  who  do  not  quite  believe  all  that  he  says. 

"  I  will  excommunicate  all  who  doubt  this  blessed  grace,"  he  cries. 

To  be  excommunicated— cut  off  from  the  Church — would  be  terrible, 
and  they  must  doubt  no  longer. 


+—4, 


i 


THE   BOY- CARDINAL.  201 

"  Blessed,  my  friends,  are  the  eyes  which  see  what  you  see,"  and  Tet- 
zol  holds  up  the  cash-box.  "Bring  your  money!  Bring  yonr  money!" 
He  drops  a  piece  of  silver  into  the  box  to  set  an  exauiple  of  benevo- 
lence. 

A  king,  queen,  and  prince  must  pay  fifty  dollars  for  an  indulgence; 
counts  and  barons,  twenty  dollars;  poor  people,  live  dollars;  and  if  they 
are  very  poor,  they  can  get  one  for  a  less  amount.  For  particular  sins 
there  are  specitied  prices.  If  a  man  has  committed  murder,  he  must  pay 
a  larger  sum  than  he  who  has  committed  theft. 

The  people  flock  to  the  church,  and  all  day  long  the  money  is  dropping 
into  the  cash-box.  The  money  not  only  of  Germany,  but  of  all  Europe,  is 
flowing  toward  Rome. 

Tetzel  travels  from  town  to  town,  and  after  a  while  reaches  the  city 
of  Leipsic.  Little  does  he  know  of  what  is  before  hira.  A  gentlenuxn 
comes  to  buy  an  indulgence. 

"  Can  you  pardon  a  sin  which  a  yian  intends  to  commit  ?"  he  asks, 

"  Certainly ;  the  Pope  lias  given  me  full  power  to  do  so." 

"  Yery  well.  I  should  like  to  punish  a  man  a  little.  I  don't  want  to 
hurt  Iiim  much — just  a  little.  How  much  do  j'ou  ask  for  an  indulgence 
that  will  hold  me  harmless,  so  that  I  shall  not  be  punished  ?" 

"  For  such  a  sin  I  must  have  thirty  dollars." 

"  That  is  too  much.     I  will  give  ton." 

"  No,  that  is  too  little.     I  will  let  you  have  one  for  twenty-five." 

"  I  can't  pay  that.     I  will  give  fifteen." 

"  That  is  not  enough.     I  will  let  joxi  have  it  for  twenty." 

"  Are  you  sure  that  it  will  protect  me  ?" 

"Certainly.  I  should  like  to  know  how  any  harm  can  come  to  you. 
It  is  the  Pope's  dispensation ;  and  no  one  may  question  my  authority." 

"  Very  well ;  here  is  the  money." 

The  man  takes  the  indulgence,  and  goes  away ;  and  Tetzel  starts  for 
the  town  of  Jiiterbogk.  He  comes  to  a  forest,  when  suddenly  a  party  of 
robbers  spring  from  behind  the  trees.  Some  of  them  seize  Tetzel  and 
pound  him,  while  others  ransack  the  carriage,  find  the  money-box,  and  all 
flee  to  the  woods. 

Who  are  the  robbers  ?  The  leader  of  tlie  baud  is  the  man  who  bought 
the  indulgence,  and  this  was  the  crime  that  he  intended  to  commit.  Tet- 
zel hastens  to  Duke  George,  who  is  Governor  of  Saxony. 

"  I  have  been  robbed." 

"  I  will  have  tlie  robbers  hanged,"  says  the  governor,  and  sends  the 
sheriff  to  arrest  them. 


202  ~  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

The  sheriff  very  soon  brings  them  before  the  governor. 

"  You  are  accused  of  robbing,"  lie  says  to  the  gentleman  who  bought 
the  indulgence.     "What  have  you  to  say  for  yourself?" 

"  Tetzel  has  already  pardoned  me.  This  is  the  crime  I  intended  to 
commit.     I  paid  him  twenty  dollars  for  the  indnlgence.     Here  it  is." 

The  governor  reads  the  paper. 

"  I  don't  see  as  you  have  any  case,  Mr.  Tetzel." 

The  governor  cannot  send  the  robber  to  prison,  nor  compel  him  to  give 
up  the  money.  To  do  so  would  put  an  end  to  Mr.  Tetzel's  business,  for  it 
would  show  the  people  that  the  indulgences  are  worthless.  Ah,  Mr.  Tet- 
zel, it  would  have  been  better  for  you  not  to  have  taken  the  road  to  Jii- 
terbogk,  and  it  would  be  better  for  you  not  to  go  there  to  set  up  your  fair; 
but  go  on,  for  out  of  your  going  will  come  liberty  to  the  world ! 

Although  so  many  years  have  passed  since  Doctor  Wicklifs  day,  the 
people  all  through  Europe  are  still  in  slavery.  They  are  taxed  by  em- 
perors and  kings.  Pope  and  priest.  They  are  robbed  systematically ;  they 
are  ignorant  and  degraded.  If  a  man  commits  a  murder,  he  can'  flee  to 
the  shelter  of  a  church ;  or  if  he  can  once  get  inside  of  a  convent  door,  the 
sheriff  caimot  arrest  him.  The  civil  law,  then,  is  powerless.  The  bishops 
and  priests  are,  many  of  them,  ready  to  burn  a  heretic  to  death ;  while 
emperors  and  kings  are  autocrats.  They  do  as  they  please.  There  is  no 
liberty  as  yet  for  the  people. 

John  Tetzel  sets  up  his  great  red  cross  in  the  Jiiterbogk  church,  and 
begins  the  sale  of  his  pardons.  He  is  very  sore  over  his  loss.  The  peo- 
ple laugh  at  him,  and  say  it  was  a  good  joke  that  the  robber  played. 
Jiiterbogk  is  only  four  miles  from  Wittenberg,  where  the  boy  who  sung 
for  his  breakfast  is  preaching  and  hearing  people  confess  their  sins. 

All-saints-day  comes.  The  people  from  all  the  country  round  flock 
to  Wittenberg  to  see  the  procession  of  the  holy  relics,  for,  on  this  1st  of 
November,  the  images  of  the  saints  and  the  relics  are  to  be  carried  in  pro- 
cession through  the  streets. 

The  people  come  to  Friar  Martin  to  confess  their  sins. 

"  You  must  leave  off  sinning,"  he  says  to  them. 

"  Leave  off  sinning  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  I  cannot  grant  absolution  unless  you  do." 

"  But  we  have  liberty  to  sin." 

"  Liberty  to  sin  !     Who  gave  you  liberty  to  sin  against  God  ?" 

"  Doctor  Tetzel,  over  in  Jiiterbogk.  Here  are  the  indulgences  which 
we  have  purchased." 

"  I  care  nothing  for  your  indulgences.     Unless  you  repent,  you  will 


J 


THE   BOY- CARDINAL. 


203 


perish.     I  will  not  grant  you  absolution,  unless  you  promise  to  leave  off 
sinning." 

The  people  are  in  despair.  They  have  paid  their  money  for  their  in- 
dulgences, and  now  their  confessor  will  not  absolve  them.  They  hasten 
to  Jiiterbogk. 

"  Our  confessor  will  not  absolve  us.  lie  says  that  these  indulgences 
are  good  for  nothing." 

"  Good  for  nothing  !"  Doctor  Tetzel  will  see  about  that.  He  goes 
into  the  pulpit.  lie  is  the  Pope's  ambassador,  and  is  endowed  with  au- 
thority. He  curses  the  young  priest 
at  Wittenberg,  who  has  thus  taken 
it  upon  himself  to  say  that  these  in- 
dulgences are  worth  no  more  than 
blank  paper. 

"  I  liave  orders  from  the  Pope 
to  burn  every  heretic  who  dares  to 
oppose  his  most  holy  indulgences," 
shouts  Tetzel ;  and  he  orders  a  fire 
to  be  kindled  in  the  market-place, 
to  let  tlie  people  understand  that  he 
means  what  he  says. 

Evening  comes.  In  the  mar- 
ket-place of  Jiiterbogk  the  fire 
which  Doctor  Tetzel  has  kindled  is 
burning.  Over  in  Wittenberg,  at 
the  same  hour,  the  people  see  their 
young  confessor  nailing  a  paper 
upon  the  door  of  the  church.  They 
crowd  around  to  see  what  sort  of  a  notice  it  may  be.     They  read  : 

"  Those  who  truly  repent  of  their  sins  have  a  full  remission  of  guilt 
and  penalty,  and  do  not  need  an  indulgence." 

And  this : 

"  He  who  gives  to  the  poor  and  lends  to  the  needy  does  better  than  he 
who  buys  an  indulgence." 

There  are  ninety -five  paragraphs.  The  people  read  in  amazement. 
Here  is  war  against  Doctor  Tetzel — a  war  between  two  doctors. 

Doctor  Luther  goes  back  to  his  room  in  the  convent,  little  knowing 
what  will  come  of  his  nailing  up  that  paper — that  it  is  the  beginning  of 
a  series  of  events  which  will  go  on  while  time  shall  last;  that  out  of  it 
will  come  a  2;reat  division  in  the  Church ;  that  thrones  will  be  tumbled 


NSPIREU    BY    SATAN. 


204: 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


into  the  dust ;  that  kings  will  go 
down,  empires  be  rent  asunder, 
lands  bo  desolated  by  war ;  that 
there  will  be  massacres  and  horri- 
ble outrages  against  the  lives  and 
liberties  of  men ;  that  for  thirty 
years  continuously  war  will  sweep 
over  Gei'many.  If  he  could  but 
lift  the  veil  that  hides  the  future, 
he  would  see  the  streets  of  Paris 
and  the  vine-clad  valleys  of  Italy 
drenched  in  blood.  lie  would  see 
fires  kindled  all  over  England  for 
the  burning  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  lie  would  see  men  hurl- 
ed headlong  from  precipices,  roast- 
ed over  slow  fires,  starving  in  dun- 
geons, subjected  to  every  form  of 
cruelty ;  but  with  all  this  he  would 
see  the  beginning  of  the  emanci- 
pation of  men,  the  advance  of  jus- 
tice, truth,  and  liberty  —  the  be- 
ginning of  a  new  era  in  human 
affairs.  The  monk  does  not  know 
it;  but  that  paper  which  he  has 
nailed  upon  the  oaken  panels  of 
the  door  is,  as  it  were,  the  march- 
ing orders  of  the  great  Army  of 
Freedom. 

The  people  read,  and  go  home 
to  think  about  it.  They  see  that 
if  what  Doctor  Luther  says  is  true, 
then  Doctor  Tetzel  has  fooled 
them.  He  has  sold  them  worth- 
less slips  of  paper.  Men  do  not 
like  to  be  swindled. 

Doctor  Luther  does  not  rest 
content  with  nailing  up  the  paper 
on  the  church  door.  He  will  call 
into   use   the   invention  made  by 


THE  BOY- CARDINAL. 


205 


that  man  in  Ilaei-lem  who  loved 
to  please  his  children — Laui-ence 
Coster  —  and  which  John  Gutten- 
berg  carried  out.  He  prints  the 
paper,  and  in  a  few  weeks  all  Ger- 
man}' is  reading  it.  Tetzel  is  ter- 
ribly enraged.  At  Frankfort  lie 
kindles  a  lire  in  the  market-place, 
and  burns  the  paper. 

'•  Wait  a  little,  and  we  will  have 
the  heretic  roasted,"  he  saj's. 

"  Uas  that  monk  of  Wittenberg 
an  iron  head  and  a  brass  nose,  so 
that  he  cannot  be  crushed  ?"  asks 
the  chief  of  the  Dominican  friars. 

"  Such  a  heretic  ought  not  to 
live  an  hour,"  cries  James  Hoch- 
staeter,  of  Cologne. 

Friar  Martin  is  not  friglitened 
in  the  least,  but  goes  on  preaching 
and  writing  against  the  sale  of  in- 
dulgences  and  the  practices  of  the 
wicked  monks. 

The  priests  say  that  he  has  sold 
himself  to  the  devil.  They  get 
up  a  horrible  picture,  representing 
Martin  as  being  inspired  by  Satan. 
Martin's  head  is  a  bagpipe,  his  nose 
the  fliigeolet.  The  devil  squeezes 
the  friar's  head  under  his  arm, 
blows  the  wind  into  one  ear,  and 
plays  upon  his  nose  with  his  claws. 

The  friends  of  Friar  Martin 
set  themselves  to  work ;  and  Ilans 
Holbein  draws  a  powerful  picture, 
one  part  of  which  represents  the 
Pope  and  his  agents  selling  par- 
dons ;  and,  in  contrast.  King  Da- 
vid, Manasses,  and  the  humble  pub- 
lican are  confessinsr  their  sins  to 


206 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


PAFA,  DOCTOR   THEOLOGI.li    ET    MAGIS 
TER   FIDEI. 

"A  long-eared  ass  can  with  the  Bagpipes    light, 
cope 
As  well  as  with  Theology  the  Pope. 


God,  and  receiving  his  blessing.  The  peo- 
ple see  that  they  are  being  swindled.  Some 
have  seen  it  for  a  long  time,  but  have  made 
no  open  protest ;  but  now  they  speak  plain- 
ly. They  take  the  liberty  of  dissenting 
from  what  the  Pope  has  decreed.  That 
man  who  was  so  disgusted  with  St.  Thomas's 
shirt,  Erasmus,  long  before  Martin  nailed 
the  paper  on  the  door  of  the  church,  poked 
fun  at  the  friars,  and  ridiculed  the  sale  of 
indulgences  in  a  book  which  he  wrote.  In 
the  old  city  of  Nuremberg  there  is  a  man 
who  mends  shoes,  and  who  sings  songs  ridi- 
culing the  monks — his  name  is  Hans  Sachs. 
The  painter  Holbein  brings  out  another 
picture,  which  represents  Christ  as  the  true 
The  pictures,  the  songs,  the  tracts, 
the  preaching,  set  men  everywhere  to  think- 
ing. One  of  the  pictures  published  repre- 
sents an  ass  wearing  the  Pope's  crown,  and  playing  a  bagpipe,  with  a 
couplet  explaining  it.  So,  from  ridiculing  the  monks  and  friars,  they 
began  to  ridicule  the  Pope.  Lucas  Cranach  drew  a  picture  which  rep- 
resented the  Pope  as  being  cast  into 
hell.  Up  to  this  time  men  have  re- 
garded the  Pope  as  having  all  pow- 
er—  as  being  God's  agent  on  earth ; 
but  now  they  laugh  at  the  idea,  and 
consign  the  Pope  to  perdition.  It  is 
a  sudden  breaking  of  the  shackles  that 
have  bound  the  intellects  of  men.  It 
is  freedom. 

In  vain  does  John  Tetzel  set  up 
his  cross  in  the  churches ;  the  people 
will  not  buy  the  Pope's  indulgences. 
The  money  which  has  been  flowing 
toward  Eome  ceases  to  go  in  that  di- 
rection. Friar  Martin  and  his  follow- 
ers are  drying  up  the  fountains.  Leo 
is  a  kind-hearted  man.  He  would 
like  to  have  everything  peaceful ;  but  the  pope  cast  into  hell. 


THE  BOY- CARDINAL.  209 

he  cannot  permit  an  obscure  monk  to  overthrow  liis  authority.  He  sends 
a  summons  to  JMartin  to  appear  at  Rome  and  answer  for  wliat  he  has 
said  and  written  ;  but  Martin  will  not  go.  And  the  Pope  summons  him 
to  appear  before  a  legate,  Cardinal  Cajetan,  at  Augsburg ;  and  Martin 
obeys. 

"  Take  back  what  you  have  said,"  is  the  demand  of  the  legate. 

"  I  stand  by  the  truth.     I  will  not  take  it  back." 

Doctor  Luther  knows  that  his  life  is  in  danger;  that  if  Cardinal  Ca- 
jetan could  only  get  him  once  inside  of  a  dungeon,  he  never  would  re- 
gain his  liberty.  lie  has  appeared  and  made  his  answer.  He  waits  four 
days. 

"  You  are  not  safe  here ;  you  must  not  remain,"  say  his  friends. 

He  is  on  foot,  but  they  supply  him  with  a  donkey,  and  an  hour  before 
daylight,  on  an  August  morning,  he  mounts  the  animal,  picks  his  way 
through  the  silent  streets  of  the  old  town.  The  birds  are  singing.  The 
sunlight  streams  up  the  east.  He,  too,  breaks  into  singing,  for  he  has 
stood  up  for  truth  and  liberty  against  the  mightiest  power  on  earth. 

Doctor  Luther  goes  back  to  Wittenberg  to  send  out  more  books  and 
pamphlets,  in  defence  of  what  he  believes  to  be  the  truth.  Peddlers  carrv 
thein  through  the  country.  The  people  i-ead  them,  pass  them  from  hand 
to  hand,  discuss  them  by  their  firesides.  It  is  like  the  lighting  of  torches. 
Men  see  as  they  ne\er  saw  before.  Others  begin  to  write  and  preach 
against  the  authority  of  the  Pope.  Germany  is  stirred  as  never  before. 
The  works  of  the  monk  of  AVittenberg  are  read  by  the  mountaineers  of 
Switzerland.  They  are  ti'anslated  into  other  languages ;  and  so  the  wave 
of  intellectual  iife  and  liberty  rolls  over  the  land. 

U 


210  THE   STOKY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  BOY-EMPEROR. 

MAXIMILIAN",  Emperor  of  Germany,  is  dead,  and  some  one  must 
be  chosen  in  his  place.  There  are  three  individuals  who  desire  to 
be  elected — Henry  of  England,  Francis  of  France,  and  Charles  of  Spain. 
Henry  is  twenty-six  years  old,  Francis  twenty-one,  and  Charles  nineteen. 
It  is  not  long  before  Henry  sees  that  he  has  no  chance ;  but  Francis  and 
Charles  are  both  confident  of  success.  Francis  sends  ambassadors  to  the 
princes  of  Germany,  who  are  to  elect  the  emperor,  promising  to  do  great 
things  for  them  ;  presenting  them  purses  filled  with  gold.  Charles  does 
the  same.  But  the  man  who  patronizes  painters  and  sculptors  down  in 
Rome  (Pope  Leo)  has  sometliing  to  say  about  it.  He  uses  his  influence  in 
favor  of  Charles,  who  is  already  King  of  Spain,  Netherlands,  and  Naples, 
and  who  lays  claim  to  a  portion  of  Italy. 

The  electors  meet  in  the  old  council -hall  in  Frankfort,  in  Germany, 
and  make  choice  of  Charles ;  and  Francis  finds  that  he  has  spent  his 
money,  and  been  defeated  besides.  He  could  put  up  with  the  loss  of  the 
money ;  but  a  wounded  spirit,  who  can  bear  ?  It  is  a  bitter  disappoint- 
ment, and  Charles  knows  that  Francis  will  take  his  revenge. 

On  a  da}'  in  May,  1520,  the  people  of  Dover,  iu  England,  are  sur- 
prised to  see  a  great  fleet  of  Spanish  war -ships  sailing  into  the  harbor. 
What  is  the  meaning  of  it?  There  is  the  flag  of  the  King  of  Spain,  the 
Boy- emperor  of  Germany,  as  they  call  him,  flying  at  the  mast-head  of 
the  largest  ship.  The  fleet  comes  to  anchor,  and  the  people  soon  learn 
that  the  young  emperor  has  come  to  make  a  visit  to  his  aunt  Katheriuo 
and  uncle  Henry.  Horsemen  ride  post-haste  to  London,  and  Henry  sends 
his  true  friend  and  chief  adviser,  Cardinal  Thomas  Wolsey,  to  Dover  to 
offer  his  congratulations  to  his  nephew,  and  to  sa}'  to  Charles  that  he  will 
hasten  down,  and  that  together  they  will  ride  to  Canterbury,  to  the  tomb 
of  Thomas  Becket,  and  cement  their  friendship  at  that  shrine. 

Cardinal  Wolsey  is  very  much  pleased  to  go  npon  such  an  errand,  for 
he  would  like  to  have  a  little  private  conversation  with  Charles  before 


THE  BOY- EMPEROR. 


211 


Henry  arrives ;  perhaps  he  may 
be  able  to  advance  his  own  fort- 
unes, lie  is  getting  on  well  in 
the  world.  When  he  was  a  boy, 
he  carried  joints  of  mutton  and 
roasts  of  beef  to  the  people  of 
Ipswich,  where  his  father  was  a 
butcher;  later,  his  father  sent 
him  to  Oxford,  where  he  grad- 
uated, and  became  a  preacher; 
but  he  led  a  fast  life,  and  one 
day  the  sheriff  arrested  him, 
and  he  was  condemned  to  sit  in 
the  stocks  for  his  misdeeds — a 
strange  spectacle  to  his  parish- 
ioners ! 

Thomas  could  not  be  con- 
tent to  live  in  a  little  country 
village  where  a  justice  of  the 
peace  could  interfere  with  his 
pleasures,  and  so  went  to  Lon- 
don. The  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury was  his  friend,  and  in- 
troduced him  to  the  king,  Hen- 
ry VII.  The  king  was  pleased 
with  him,  and,  through  the  arch- 
bishop's influence,  made  him  a 
dean.  Being  a  dean,  he  was  in 
a  position  to  push  his  fortunes, 
and  soon  became  Bishop  of 
York.  He  was  so  influential 
and  able,  that  when  Henry  VIII. 
came  to  the  throne,  he  selected 
him  to  be  his  prime  minister. 
Louis  XII.  of  France  wanted 
to  marry  Henry's  sister  Mary; 
and  he  seeing  that  Wolsey  had 
great  influence  at  court,  sent 
-him  a  purse  filled  with  gold. 
Then  the  Boy-cardinal, in  Rome, 


212 


THE   STOIIY   OF   LIBERTY. 


when  lie  became  Pope,  desiring  to  secure  Henry's  friendship,  made  him 
a  cardinal,  and  gave  him  permission  to  appoint  all  the  bishops,  deans,  and 

other  prelates  of  the  Church  in 


England.  It  is  a  power  greater 
than  that  held  by  the  king.  All 
the  Church  officials,  from  the 
verger  who  opens  the  pew -door 
np  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, will  take  off  their  hats  to 
him,  and  all  the  lords,  earls,  and 
barons  will  wait  npon  him. 

No  earl  of  England  lives  in 
greater  state.  He  rides  a  donkey, 
to  show  that  he  is  as  humble  as 
his  Master,  who  rode  into  Jeru- 
salem on  an  ass ;  but  he  spreads 
a  luxurious  table,  and  drinks  the 
best  wines.  He  wears  a  gor- 
geous dress,  with  a  massive  gold 
necklace  studded  with  diamonds 
and  pearls.  His  tippet  is  of 
the  finest  sable,  and  his  robe  is 

trimmed  with  the  whitest  ermine.     His  shoes  are  of  silver  and  gold,  inlaid 

with  diamonds.     He  has  eight  hundred  men  in  his  train — sons  of  barons, 

earls,  lords,  counts — fifteen  knights,  and  forty  sqnires.     His  servants  are 

in  livery.    His  cook  wears  a  velvet-satin  jacket,  and  a  gold  chain  upon  his 

neck.      A   lord    rides 

before    the    cardinal, 

carrying  the   red  hat 

which  Leo  has  given 

him.      Another    lord 

carries  a  golden  mace, 

while  two  priests  bear 

massive  silver  crosses. 

His    saddle  -  cloth    is 

of  crimson  velvet,  his 

stirrups    of   solid   sil- 
ver.   Men  armed  with 

spears  and  swords,  a 

servants — more  than  a  thousand  in  all — make  np  his  retinue 


R-HOUSE,   CANTERBURY. 


THOMAS    WOLSET    AND    HIS    COMPANIONS    IN    THE    STOCKS. 

2:rand  cavalcade  of  horsemen,  with  a  reo-iment  of 


THE   BOY-EMPEKOR. 


213 


One  of  the  gentlemen  in  his  train  is  Thomas'Cromwell,  who  was  born 
in  London,  l-iOO.  His  fatlier  was  a  blacksniitli,  but  this  Thomas  did  not 
mean  to  blow  the  bellows  or  swing  the  sledge  for  a  living.  lie  has  been 
a  clerk  in  a  store  in  London  and  at  Antwerp,  but  has  entered  Cardinal 
"Wolsey's  service,  and  is  on  the  high-road  to  fortune.  The  world  will  yet 
hear  from  this  son  of  a  blacksmith.  So  great  a  man  as  Wolsey  must  have 
a  chaplain,  and  he  has  selected  Edmund  Bonner  for  that  service.  This 
pi-eacher  lias  graduated  at  Oxford.  He  is  only  twenty -five  years  old,  but, 
now  that  he  is  in  the  cardinal's  service,  is  getting  on  in  the  world.  We 
shall  see  him  again. 

The  cardinal  has  a  great  deal  of  writing  to  be  done,  and  he  has  ap- 
pointed as  his  chief  and  confidential  secretary  Stephen  Gardiner,  He  is 
an  able  man,  but  artful,  ambitious, 
and  proud.  lie  was  educated  at  Ox- 
ford, and  can  speak  and  write  sever- 
al languages.  The  world  will  be  bet- 
ter or  worse  for  M-hat  he  will  do,  as 
we  shall  discover  farther  along. 

Cardinal  Wolsey  rides  to  Dover  to 
receive  tlie  young  emperor;  but  what 
is  he  thinking  of  as  he  hastens  along 
the  dusty  road  through  the  hop-fiekh-- 
of  Kent?  He  is  thinking  of  how  he 
shall  wind  the  Boy-emperor  round  his 
little  finger.  He  knows  what  Charles 
has  come  for — not  merely  to  make  a 
friendly  visit  to  Katiierine  and  Hen- 
ry, but  to  enlist  Henry  on  his  side  in 
case  Francis  begins  a  war.  He  has 
come  to  persuade  Henry  to  give  up 

a  friendly  meeting  which  he  is  intending  to  have  witli  Francis,  in  June, 
over  the  Channel  near  Calais,  where  carpenters  and  masons  are  erecting 
a  grand  palace  for  use  during  the  festivities.  Cardinal  Wolsey  is  turning 
the  matter  over  in  his  mind.  How  mncli  can  Cardinal  Wolsey  make  out 
of  this  visit?  In  what  way  can  he  best  wind  the  boy  round  his  finger, 
and  make  him  pay  for  the  winding  besides?  Cardinal  Wolsey  is  taking 
long  looks  ahead.  He  is  already  master  of  affairs  in  England.  The  Pope 
will  not  live  forever ;  and  when  he  dies,  who  in  the  world  is  more  worthy 
to  occnpy  the  pontifical  chair  than  he  who  once  carried  juints  of  mut- 
ton and  beef  to  the  people  of  Ipswich,  but  who  is  now  as  powerful  as 


C\1U>1N  VL    \\OLSI-\. 


214 


THE   STOKY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Henry  himself  ?  Plainly*,  it  will  be  for  his  interest  to  make  Charles  under 
obligations  to  him  ;  but  if  he  helps  the  emperor,  the  emperor  in  turn  must 
do  great  things  for  him :  he  must  have  some  pay  down,  and  the  promise 
of  a  great  deal  more  by-and-by. 

The  cardinal  arrives  at  Dover,  and  bows  with  great  deference  to  the 
pale  young  man.  They  talk  by  themselves.  Charles  is  ready  to  do  an}^- 
thing  for  his  friend  the  cardinal,  and  gives  him  outright  a  bishopric  in 
Spain.     The  cardinal  need  not  ever  set  foot  in  the  country ;  but  he  may 


GREAT    HARRY. 


have  all  the  revenue,  which  shall  be  collected  and  sent  to  liim — ten  thou- 
sand ducats  per  annum ;  and  when  Leo  dies,  the  emperor  will  use  his  ut- 
most influence  to  secure  the  election  of  the  cardinal  as  his  successor.  The 
cardinal,  on  his  part,  will  see  to  it  that  no  harm  shall  come  to  Charles 
from  the  proposed  meeting  between  Francis  and  Henry.  It  is  better,  the 
cardinal  thinks,  that  the  meeting  should  take  place. 

Henry  and  Katherine  and  the  barons  and  lords  hasten  to  Dover  to 
pay  their  respects  to  Charles,  and  then  they  ride  up  to  Canterbury  to  ce- 
ment their  friendship  around  the  tomb  of  Thomas  Becket.  Mass  is  per- 
formed in  the  cathedral — they  have  a  grand  banquet,  and  then  the  caval- 


THE   BOY- EMPEROR.  315 

cade  takes  the  road  to  Dover  once  more  ;  for  Henry  and  Katlierine,  and 
all  the  nobles  and  lords  and  knights,  are  on  their  way  to  the  Field  of  the 
Cloth  of  Gold,  which  we  shall  see  in  the  next  chapter. 

Henry  is  large-framed  and  strong.  He  can  pitch  a  qnoit  or  throw  an 
iron  bar  with- the  best  men  in  the  kingdom.  He  has  bine  eyes  and  rosy 
cheeks ;  while  Charles  is  thin,  pale,  and  spare,  and  has  a  heavy  underjaw. 
They  ride  side  by  side.  Katlierine  accompanies  them,  with  her  little 
daughter  Mary,  four  years  old.  So  these  five  persons,  who  will  have  much 
to  do  with  the  history  of  liberty,  journey  together  to  Dover — the  man  who 
is  managing  them  all  riding  on  a  donkey,  and  his  great  retinue  following. 

Heni-y  has  a  fleet  of  ships  waiting  for  him  and  the  nobles  and  knights 
of  England.  His  largest  ship  is  the  Great  Harry.  He  bids  the  emperor 
good-bye  ;  and  the  Spanish  ships,  amidst  the  thundering  of  cannon,  spread 
their  sails,  and  shape  their  course  toward  Holland  ;  while  Henry's  steer 
8trai<rht  across  the  Channel  to  Calais. 


216 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CIIAPTETl  XIV. 

THE   FIELD   OF  THE   CLOTH   OF   GOLD. 

THREE  hiiiidred  masons,  five  hundred  carpenters,  scores  of  painters, 
plasterers,  decorators,  glass-setters — three  thousand  men  in  all — have 
been  at  work  since  the  19th  of  March,  and  it  is  now  the  middle  of  June, 
building  a  royal  palace  on  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold.  The  edifice 
is  in  the  form  of  a  quadrangle,  with  audience-rooms,  chambers,  halls,  and 
courts.  Upon  the  towers  of  the  palace  and  on  the  battlements  are  figures 
of  gods  and  heroes.     The  interior  is  hung  with  rich  tapestries.     Adjoining 

the  great  audience-room  is  a  chapel, 
the  walls  of  which  blaze  with  jewels. 
The  altai-,  the  candlesticks,  and  the 
crucifix  are  of  silver,  and  the  cano- 
py above  the  altar  is  of  pure  gold. 

Near  the  palace  is  a  grand  pavil- 
ion, the  covering  of  which  is  cloth 
of  gold,  hned  with  blue  velvet  and 
studded  with  silver  stars.  The  tent 
ropes  are  of  pure  silk,  intertwined 
with  threads  of  gold.  There  ai-e 
many  smaller  pavilions  of  the  same 
material,  gorgeously  decorated. 

Henry  VIII.  of  England  has 
erected  the  palace,  and  Francis  I.  of 
France  the  pavilion.  They  have  made  these  preparations  for  a  tourna- 
ment and  fraternal  meeting.  Francis  would  like  to  have  Henry  his  friend 
while  he  gratifies  his  revenge  against  Charles.  Henry  is  a  little  jealous  of 
Charles — so  much  power  is  too  much  for  a  boy  of  nineteen  to  wield — and 
he  is  quite  willing  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with  Francis. 

Cardinal  Wolsey  arranges  affairs.  There  will  be  tilting,  mock  battles, 
banquets,  dances,  promenades;  but  not  much  talk  about  pohtical  matters. 
The  King  of  France  shall  be  well  pleased  at  the  hospitality  of  the  King 


IRANCIS   I. 


THE   FIELD   OF  THE   CLOTH   OF   GOLD. 


217 


of  England ;  the  King  of  England  shall  be  gratified  with  the  courtesy  of 
the  King  of  France.  But  the  cardinal  determines  that  there  shall  be  no 
treaties  made  or  promises  given  that  cannot  be  broken. 


(^^—^^■^ 


fl 


What  a  grand  assembly  !  Two  kings,  two  queens,  dukes,  earls,  lords, 
barons,  iiobles,  knights,  counts,  marquises,  cardinals,  archbishops,  gorgeous- 
ly arrayed  in  silk,  satin,  and  velvet ;  in  purple,  crimson,  green,  blue,  and 
buff,  with  gold  and  silver  trimmings,  with  ostrich  plumes  and  eagles' 
feathers — their  garments  glittering  with  jewels  ! 

Six  thousand  of  the  nobility  of  England  are  there,  with  nearly  four 
thousand  horses.  Thousands  of  the  noblemen  of  France,  and  Spain,  and 
Italy,  and  Germany  are  assembled;  for  messengers  have  been  travelling 
in  all  those  countries,  in- 
viting them  to  attend  the 
grand  tournament. 

Henry  rides  a  beau- 
tiful horse.  His  coat  is 
cloth  of  silver,  ribbed  with 
gold.  His  jacket  is  of 
rose -colored  velvet;  his 
boots  of  yellow  morocco. 
He  wears  a  black  velvet 
cap,  blazing  with  dia- 
monds, and  adorned  by 
a  white  plume.  Around 
his  neck  is  a  heavy  gold 
chain,  set  with  rubies  and 
pearls.  On  his  breast  is 
a  jewel  that  twinkles  like 
a  star. 

Before  the  king  rides 
a  marquis,  carrying  the 
sword    of    state.       Two 


eiiA.Mi'iu 


HL    TULKNA.MLNT. 


218 


THE   STOKY   OF   LIBERTY. 


pages,  ready  to  do  his  bidding,  walk  by  his  side.  At  his  left  hand  rides 
Cardinal  Wolsey,  on  his  donkey,  wearing  his  scai'let  cloak,  scarlet  slippers, 
and  a  scarlet  hat.  Behind  the  king  is  the  Duke  of  Suffolk  (Charles  Bran- 
don), on  a  white  horse ;  and  following  him  is  the  Bishop  of  liochester,  with 
a  beard  so  long  that  it  covers  all  his  breast.  Sir  Henry  Guilford  leads 
the  king's  spare  horse.  After  him  comes  a  grand  cavalcade  of  nobles, 
magnificently  arrayed. 


THE    TODRNAMENT. 


Out  from  the  Golden  Pavilion  rides  the  King  of  France.  He  is  tall, 
and  has  a  long  nose.  His  face  is  bronzed.  He  has  long  legs  and  small 
feet.  He  wears  a  coat  of  satin  silver  cloth,  glittering  with  precious  stones. 
His  cap  is  of  damask  and  gold,  spangled  with  diamonds.  With  him  are 
the  noblemen  of  France,  in  rich  attire,  riding  the  most  beautiful  horses 
to  be  found  in  the  kingdom.  Some  of  them  have  expended  so  much 
money  in  prepai-ing  for  the  tournament  that  they  will  be  in  debt  for  the 
remainder  of  their  davs. 


THE   FIELD   OF   THE   CLOTH   OF   GOLD. 


219 


THE    COOKS    GETTING    DINNER. 


A  great  camp  has  been  established,  with  magnificent  pavilions,  wliere 
the  queens  of  England  and  France,  with  the  ladies,  may  behold  the  games. 
Tiie  kings  have  each  a  private  pavilion  near  by ;  and  there  are  other  tents 
by  the  thousand.  In  one  ai-e  himdreds  of  casks  filled  with  the  choicest 
wines.  There  are  dining-halls  and  lunch-tables,  and  there  is  to  be  no  end 
of  feasting.  Hundreds  of  cooks  are  employed  day  and  night  in  preparing 
the  feasts. 

It  is  on  the  11th  of  June,  1520,  that  the  tournament  begins.  The 
Queen  of  England  (the  little  girl  whom  we  saw  in  the  Alhambra)  wears  a 
rich  dress,  covered  with  jewels.  Even  the  cloth  npon  which  she  rests  her 
feet  is  powdered  with  pearls. 

Claude,  the  Queen  of  France,  is  younger  than  Katherine,  and  very 
beautiful.  Francis  has  obtained  for  her  the  richest  dresses  to  be  had  in 
the  realm,  and  the  most  costly  jewels.     She  rides  in  a  stately  carriage. 


'^•i^--^ 


THE   QUEEN  S   CARRIAGE. 


220  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

Among  the  ladies  in  the  train  of  Queen  Claude  is  a  girl  whom  we  have 
seen  before,  one  of  the  number  who  went  to  France  with  Henry's  sister 
Mary,  when  she  went  to  be  the  wife  of  the  king,  who  was  old  enough  to 
be  her  grandfather — Louis  XII.  Very  little  happiness  did  Mary  have 
with  Louis,  who  was  afflicted  with  dropsy,  and  who  died  three  months 
after  their  man-iage. 

What  did  Mary  do  then  ?  Without  letting  Henry  or  anybody  else 
know  what  she  intended  to  do,  she  married  her  true-love,  Charles  Bran- 
don. Ilem-y  did  not  like  it  at  first,  but  made  the  best  of  it,  and  now  the 
young  man  is  riding  by  his  side  as  Duke  of  Suffolk. 

The  little  girl,  Anne  Boleyn,  was  only  seven  years  old  when  she  went 
with  Mary  to  France  to  be  her  little  waiting-maid;  now  she  is  eighteen. 
Of  all  the  ladies  at  the  tournament,  there  is  none  so  fair,  none  more  grace- 
ful in  the  dance,  none  so  bright  and  witty.  Henry  beholds  her  in  all 
the  freshness  and  beauty  of  maidenhood. 

The  kings  put  on  their  armor,  the  trumpets  sonnd,  the  heralds  make 
proclamation,  and  the  tournament  begins.  The  kings  are  victors  in  the 
games.  It  would  not  do  for  a  subject  to  disarm  the  king — he  would  stand 
a  chance  of  having  his  head  cut  off,  or  at  least  of  losing  the  king's  favor. 

One  of  the  noblemen  accompanying  Francis  is  the  Duke  of  Guise, 
or  Duke  of  Lorraine,  as  he  is  sometimes  called.  He  was  a  poor  boy,  but 
he  has  been  making  his  fortune  by  fighting  for  Francis.  He  was  badly 
wounded  three  j'ears  ago,  but  has  recovered.  He  is  married  to  Antoinette 
of  Bourbon,  and  has  a  little  daughter,  Mary,  who  will  be  Queen  of  Scot- 
land by-and-by,  and  the  little  babe  which  she  will  hold  in  her  arms  will 
also  bear  the  name  of  Mary — Mary  Queen  of  Scots.  The  duke  has  a 
son,  Francis  Guise,  a  spirited  boy.  Little  does  King  Henry  imagine  that 
the  son  by-and-by  will  wrest  the  old  town  of  Calais  from  his  daughter 
Mary — the  little  girl  now  four  years  old — who  will  be  Queen  of  England, 
and  that  the  loss  of  it  will  break  Mary's  heart. 

Henry  and  Fi-ancis  talk  of  betrothing  Mary  to  Francis's  son  Ilem-y, 
who  is  only  two  years  old  ;  but  such  a  marriage  never  w^ill  be  consum- 
mated. The  son  of  the  French  king,  whom  we  shall  see  by-and-by  on 
the  throne  as  Henry,  will  find  a  M'ife  beyond  the  Alps  in  the  old  city 
of  Florence,  where  she  is  at  this  moment  sucking  her  thumbs  in  her  cra- 
dle in  a  palace  near  the  grand  old  cathedral — the  palace  in  which  Pope 
Leo  was  born.  She  is  Leo's  grandniece,  Catherine  de'  Medici,  who,  when 
she  is  fourteen,  will  come  to  France  to  be  married  to  Henry.  Let  us  keep 
this  Florentine  baby  in  remembrance,  because  she  will  play  a  terrible  part 
in  the  story  of  liberty. 


I 


THE   FIELD   OF   THE   CLOTH   OF   GOLD. 


221 


The  tournament  lasts  three  weeks.  When  it  is  ended,  Francis  returns 
to  Paris,  and  Ilenrv  and  Cardinal  Wolsej  set  their  faces  toward  Enghmd  ; 
but  before  crossing  the  Chainiel  they  ride  out  from  Calais  a  little  way,  and 


I  I  I  I'll  f. 


,§uL 


\rHLDRAL,   iLOKhS 


wliom  do  they  meet?  Charles,  who  has  "been  waiting  conveniently  near 
for  an  interview ;  and  Charles  is  greatly  pleased  to  hear  from  the  cardinal 
that  Henry  has  entered  into  no  alliance  with  the  King  of  France.  He 
will  do  in  i-eturn  all  tliat  he  can  for  Cardinal  Wulsey. 


222  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

THE  MEN  WHO   OBEY   ORDERS. 

ON  that  day  when  the  boj  who  sung  for  his  breakfast  was  standing 
before  Conrad  Cotta's  door,  there  was  another  boy  in  Spain  wlio 
was  waiting  upon  King  Ferdinand.  His  father  was  a  nobleman.  The 
boy  never  knew  what  it  was  to  be  poor.  We  may  think  of  him  as  running 
liere  and  there  carrying  letters  and  despatclies.  He  learns  to  obey — to  do 
whatever  he  is  commanded  to  do  without  asking  any  questions.  It  be- 
comes the  habit  of  his  life.  Obedience  is  a  virtue,  and  he  accomplishes 
his  work  with  energy  and  despatch.     He  is  faithful  in  all  his  trusts. 

Years  pass.  Ferdinand  is  dead,  and  Charles  V.  is  King  of  Spain. 
The  page  is  a  young  man.  He  has  suffered  a  great  disappointment — a 
lady  whom  he  loves  has  rejected  his  suit ;  and  so  when  Francis  I.  of 
France,  a  few  weeks  after  that  meeting  with  Henry  at  the  Field  of  the 
Gloth  of  Gold,  sends  an  army  to  drive  Charles  out  of  Navarre,  and  force 
him  to  give  up  the  tei-ritory  which  Ferdinand  wrested  from  Catherine  de 
Foix,  the  cavalier  Ignatius  Lo^'ola  eagerly  engages  in  the  war,  to  foi'get, 
in  the  excitement  of  tlie  camp,  the  fair  lady  who  has  rejected  his  suit. 
He  is  wounded  and  taken  prisoner.  Through  the  weary  days  he  lies  upon 
his  cot.  The  time  is  long.  His  spirits  chafe.  He  offers  vows  to  the  Vir- 
gin Mary  that  if  she  will  cure  him  he  will  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusa- 
lem. His  wound  heals,  and  he  keeps  his  vow,  for  he  has  learned  faith- 
fulness in  the  court  of  Ferdinand.  He  has  wonderful  visions ;  the  Vir- 
gin appears  to  him,  surrounded  with  sujDernal  glorj',  to  reward  him  for 
his  fidelity. 

Loyola  retnrns  to  Spain,  and  has  so  much  to  say  about  his  vision  that 
the  men  who  ask  questions  thrust  him  into  prison  as  a  heretic  ;  but  he 
makes  liis  escape,  and  flees  to  Fi-ance.  He  is  deeply  religious,  fasting 
and  praying  all  night.  He  consecrates  himself  to  the  service  of  the  Vir- 
gin— to  go  wherever  she  may  send  him,  to  do  what  he  can  in  converting 
the  woi'ld. 

In  Paris  he  makes  the  acquaintance  of  Peter  Faber,  Francis  Xavier, 


THE  MEN  WHO  OBEY  ORDERS. 


223 


and  four  other  young  tnen,  whom  he  fires  with  his  own  lofty  enthusiasm 
for  the  conversion  of  the  world.  They  fast  and  pray,  and  form  them- 
selves into  a  societ}^,  with  Loyola  as  their  general,  who  shall  tell  them 


Mg^.^^ 


W  JWW  '^£ 


IGNATIUS    LOYOLA, 

what  to  do,  and  they  will  do  it;  Mdiere  to  go,  and  they  will  go,  without 
asking  any  questions.     They  take  four  solemn  oaths : 

1.  To  obey  their  general,  no  matter  what  he  may  command  them  to  do. 

2.  Never,  as  individuals,  to  own  any  property,  but  to  obtain  all  they 
can  for  the  Church. 

3.  Never  to  marry. 

4.  To  do  whatever  the  Pope  commands. 

They  are  animated  by  one  lofty  idea — to  put  forth  all  their  energies 
to  convert  the  world.  For  this  they  will  suffer  hardship,  hujiger,  poverty, 
privation,  sickness,  and  death.  Nothing  shall  deter  them,  no  obstacle  tui-n 
them  back. 

In  April,  1538,  these  seven  brethren  kneel  before  Pope  Alexander 
Farnese,  in  Rome,  and  ask  him  to  accept  their  services.  They  will  go  or 
come,  and  will  do  all  that  he  shall  order.     The  Pope  sees  that  he  can  use 


22i  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

such  men  to  good  advantage.  He  accepts  tlieir  services,  and  recognizes 
the  Society  of  Jesus  as  an  agency  of  the  Church.  He  issues  a  bull  ex- 
empting the  brothers  from  all  control  except  his  own.  They  are  not  an- 
swerable to  cardinals,  archbishops,  or  anybody  else — not  even  to  kings  or 
emperors,  neither  to  any  civil  or  ecclesiastical  law.  They  never  shall  be 
called  upon  to  pay  any  tithes  or  taxes. 

Loyola  draws  up  a  set  of  actions  for  the  society — not  based  on  the  Ten 
Connnandments,  nor  on  Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  but  on  the  idea 
that  if  an  object  to  be  attained  is  good,  they  may  use  any  means  to  obtain 
it,  even  though  the  means  may  not  be  good. 

"^  good  motive  makes  any  action  'right.'''' 

That  is  what  Loyola  believes.  It  is  right  to  tell  a  lie,  to  take  a  false 
oath,  to  defraud,  and  commit  even  murder,  if  the  act  is  done  for  the  good 
of  the  Church.  So  if  the  members  of  the  society  judge  that  the  Church 
will  be  benefited  by  having  a  king  or  queen,  or  anybody  else,  put  out  of 
the  wa}^  it  will  be  right  for  them  to  take  any  means  to  accomplish  it. 

'■^No  act'ion  loioked  in  itself  is  really  wicked  unless  the  intent'ton  is 
eHl. 

'■'■In  taking  oaths,  the  members  of  the  society  may  make  mental  res- 
ervations to  break  them,  if  they  can  benefit  the  Church  by  so  doing. 

'■'■Jf  called  upon  to  justify  any  of  their  actions,  they  may  give  a 
false  motive  instead  of  the  real  one.  They  may  equivocate,  may  jus- 
tify fraud  and  deceit,  without  any  scruples  of  conscience^ 

The  Pope  promises  to  grant  them  absolution  for  whatever  they  may 
do  that  in  itself  M'ould  be  wrong,  but  which  he  will  make  right,  because 
it  is  for  the  good  of  the  Church. 

'•'■No  member  of  the  society  shall  submit  himself  to  be  examined  be- 
fore any  court  of  justice  ivithout  the  permission  of  his  superior  P 

This  makes  the  society  superior  to  the  State — to  kings  and  emperors 
— superior  to  all  law. 

'■'■If  the  members  are  cast  into  prison  for  refusing  to  testify,  they 
are  to  account  it  all  honor  to  suffer  for  the  good  of  the  Church.'''' 

With  the  Pope's  blessing  resting  upon  them,  the  members  of  the  so- 
ciety go  forth,  in  their  enthusiasm,  to  establish  the  Church  in  eveiy  land — 
threading  the  jungles  of  India;  traversing  the  deserts  of  Africa;  sailing 
along  the  rivers  of  China;  making  their  way  amidst  the  mountains  of  Ja- 
pan ;  crossing  the  Atlantic ;  penetrating  the  wilds  of  America ;  planting 
the  cross  on  the  plains  of  Brazil  and  the  peaks  of  the  Andes ;  establishing 
missions  amidst  the  fertile  vales  of  Mexico ;  making  themselves  at  home 
in  the  wigwams  of  the  Indians  of  the  New  World ;  sailing  their  canoes 


i 


THE   MEN   WHO   OBEY   OKDEKS. 


225 


on  the  great  lakes;  threading  the  wilderness  beyond  the  Mississippi;  es- 
tablishing missions  everywhere ;  bringing  myriads  of  the  hnman  race  nn- 


der  the  dominion  of  the  Clinrch ;  persuading  men  where  persuasion  will 
accomplish  what  they  desire,  and  employing  force  where  force  is  possible, 
regardless  of  natural  rights  and  liberties. 

We  shall  see,  by-and-by,  what  will  come  from  such  an  organization, 
established  on  a  code  of  morals  which  sets  up  vice  for  virtue,  falsehood  for 
truth,  deceit  for  honesty  ;  which  claims  to  be  superior  to  king,  emperor, 
Parliament,  or  Congress ;  which  makes  itself  a  despotism  over  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  men ;  Mdiich  places  its  spies  in  every  household,  taking 
note  of  the  actions  and  beliefs  of  every  individual;  trampling  on  all  law; 
setting  aside  all  authority ;  acknowledging  only  one  whom  they  are  bound 
to  obey — the  Pope  of  Komc  ! 


226  THE   STOKY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTEB  XTI. 

PLANS  THAT  DID  NOT   COME  TO  PASS. 

HOW  easy  it  is  to  plan !  How  nice  it  would  be  if  we  could  only  carry 
out  onr  plans !  So  we  think.  Why  do  we '  not  carry  them  out  ? 
Because  there  are  other  plans  besides  our  own.  Before  we  get  through 
with  this  Story  of  Liberty,  perhaps  we  shall  see  that,  somehow,  almost 
all  of  tlie  great  plans  of  kiugs  and  emperors  have  been  overturned ;  that 
things  have  not  come  out  as  they  intended.  Perhaps  we  shall  see  that  be- 
hind all  the  plans  of  men  to  advance  their  own  interests,  there  will  seem 
to  be  another  plan — that  circumstances  and  events  will  take  such  shape 
that  we  shall  be  able  to  discover  a  new  arranging  of  things — a  plan  supe- 
rior to  all  others,  as  if  God  had  a  plan  and  were  behind  all  the  overturn- 
ings  and  defeats  of  men. 

The  King  of  France,  who  has  gone  back  to  Paris  from  the  Field  of 
the  Cloth  of  Gold,  is  laying  his  plans.  He  intended  to  be  emperor,  but 
Charles  has  won  the  prize,  and  now  he  will  have  his  revenge.  He  will 
march  his  armies  across  the  Alps  and  pounce  npon  Milan,  and  perhaps 
carry  In's  victorious  legions  to  Naples. 

Cardinal  Wolsey,  who  had  the  private  interview  with  Charles,  and 
promised  to  manage  Henry  in  Charles's  interest,  is  laying  his  plan,  and 
every  move  that  he  may  make  in  life  will  have  reference  to  it ;  he  is  go- 
ing to  be  Pope  when  Leo  dies.  Charles  has  promised  to  place  him  in  the 
pontifical  chair.  Henry  has  not  yet  laid  his  plan  ;  what  it  will  be  we 
shall  see  by-and-by.  He  would  like  to  lead  his  armies  to  victory ;  but 
the  ])eople  of  England  have  no  desire  to  go  philandering  over  the  Conti- 
nent searching  for  some  one  whom  they  may  conquer.  Henry  is  wishing 
that  he  had  a  younger  wife — a  lady  fresh  and  fair,  sparkling  and  witty. 
Such  a  one  as  Anne  Boleyn,  for  instance,  for  the  wrinkles  are  coming  in 
Katherine's  cheeks,  and  she  will  soon  be  an  old  woman. 

Anne  Boleyn  has  gone  to  London.  She  is  bright  and  beautiful.  What- 
ever plans  she  may  be  laying,  she  keeps  them  to  herself;  but  the  king 
smiles  upon  her,  and  she  is  graciously  received  at  court. 


PLANS   THAT   DID   NOT   COME   TO   PASS.  227 

Charles  has  laid  his  plan  to  be  emperor,  and  lias  carried  it  out.  Now 
what  shall  he  do  ?  Why  not  aim  to  be  i-iiler  of  the  world,  and  be  as  2:reat 
as  Cffisar  or  Alexander.  lie  is  master  of  more  than  half  of  Europe — Spain, 
Netherlands,  Germany,  Naples,  and  part  of  Italy,  all  the  New  World — the 
empire  in  the  West.     Why  not  go  on  and  ciush  France  ?     lie  will. 

Leo  is  building  his  great  church  in  Home.  lie  is  employing  sculptors 
and  painters.  lie  will  nuike  his  pontitical  rule  so  brilliant  that  people 
in  all  coming  time  shall  praise  it.  There  is  only  one  thing  to  mar  his 
plan:  that  monk  in  Germany,  who,  on  All -saints -eve,  in  1517,  nailed  a 
paper  upon  the  door  of  Wittenberg  church,  has  created  such  a  disturb- 
ance that  the  people  have  stopped  giving  money.  He  must  have  money, 
or  he  cannot  go  on  with  his  grand  project.  He  will  have  the  heretic  j^ut 
out  of  the  way,  and  the  lieresy  suppressed. 

On  the  very  day  that  Cardinal  Wolsey  takes  Charles  one  side  to  have 
a  confidential  talk  after  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  Leo  writes  an 
order  commanding  Friar  Martin  Lutlier  to  stop  preaching  and  waiting. 
He  gives  him  sixty  days,  in  which  he  must  take  back  all  that  he  has  said  ; 
if  he  does  not  retract  it  in  that  time,  he  will  condemn  him  as  a  wicked 
heretic.  All  persons  having  Friar  Martin's  writings  are  commanded  to 
throw  them  into  the  fire;  and  all  who  have  supported  him  must  at  once 
abandon  him,  or  they  will  be  exconnnunicated,  and  also  condemned  as 
lieretics. 

Leo  has  been  giving  so  much  attention  to  the  building  of  St.  Peter's 
and  the  painting  of  pictures,  that  he  has  not  kept  himself  fully  informed 
in  regard  to  what  has  been  going  on  in  Germany  the  last  three  years.  He 
does  not  know  tliat  since  All -saints -da}',  in  1517,  onl}^  two  and  a  half 
years  ago,  half  of  the  people  of  Germany  have  become  heretics.  Many 
good  men  in  the  Church  and  out  of  it  are  heart  and  soul  with  Doctor 
Luther,  who  is  no  longer  a  friar.  Some  of  them  are  writing  books.  Doc- 
tor Luther's  friend,  Philip  Melancthon,  is  hard  at  work  with  his  pen. 
Some  of  the  bishops  are  writing  in  his  favor,  others  against  him.  When 
King  Henry  gets  home  to  England,  from  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold, 
lie  takes  his  pen  and  writes  against  the  <ioctor,  which  so  pleases  the  Pope 
that  he  gives  Henry  a  new  title  —  Defender  of  the  Faith  —  borne  by  all 
the  sovereigns  of  England  from  that  day  to  the  present  hour. 

The  order  of  the  Pope  is  published,  and  people  wait  to  see  what  Doc- 
tor Luther  will  do.     Will  he  yield  ?     Not  he. 

There  comes  an  evening  in  December.  The  snow  is  on  the  ground. 
The  air  is  chill,  but,  though  dreary  the  night,  it  does  not  prevent  the 
students  at  Wittenberg  from  assembling  in  procession.     They  march  out 


228  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

through  the  gate  of  the  town.  Doctor  Luther  leads  them.  They  knidle 
a  fire,  and  as  the  flames  rise  the  doctor  burns  a  lot  of  the  Pope's  books. 
If  the  Pope  can  burn  Luther's  books,  Luther  will  let  the  world  know  that 
he  can  bunr  the  Pope's.     The  book  M-hich  he  throws  into  the'  flames  con- 


MELANCTHON. 


tains  the  claim  of  the  Pope  as  being  superior  in  all  things — as  lord  of  the 
liberties,  rights,  actions,  hearts,  and  consciences  of  men.  He  also  casts  the 
Pope's  bull  into  the  fire.  The  students  shout  and  hurrah,  and  the  pro- 
cession goes  back  into  the  town. 

Christmas  comes.     The  Wittenberg  students,  seeing  the  boldness  of 


PLANS  THAT   DID   NOT   COME   TO   PASS.  229 

their  beloved  doctor,  lose  all  fear  of  Rome.  They  have  a  carnival.  One 
of  their  number  dresses  himself  up  to  represent  tlie  Pope.  Some  wear 
red  cloaks  and  hats,  to  represent  the  cardinals.  The  other  students  seize 
the  mock  pope,  put  a  paper  cap  on  his  head,  carry  him  on  their  shouldei's 
through  the  streets,  and  tumble  him  into  the  river.  They  strip  the  xed 
cloaks  from  the  mock  cardinals,  beat  them  aud  hustle  them  about,  amidst 
the  shouts  and  laughter  of  the  people. 

The  Pope  cannot  permit  such  a  heretic  as  Doctor  Luther  to  go  unpun- 
ished, lie  sends  M'ord  to  the  emperor,  Charles  V.,  that  he  nnist  be  seized 
and  sent  to  E-ome.  The  emperor  is  young  and  ambitious.  He  has  his 
plans  against  the  King  of  France  :  it  w\\\  not  do  for  him  to  take  action 
which  will  offend  his  subjects  in  Germany,  for  he  wants  their  aid;  but 
here  is  half  of  Germany  ready  to  su[)port  the  heretic. 

"  I  cannot  strike  such  a  blow  without  first  consulting  my  councillors," 
is  the  emperor's  reply  to  the  Pope. 

One  of  his  councillors  is  Frederick  of  Saxony. 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  Doctor  Luther  V  Charles  asks  of  Frederick. 

Frederick  does  not  know  what  reply  to  make.  But  that  learned  man 
fi'om  Holland,  just  at  this  time,  makes  Frederick  a  visit — Doctor  Erasmus, 
wlio  was  so  disgusted  at  the  sight  of  St.  Thomas's  shirt  in  England. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  Doctor  Luther  ?"  Frederick  asks. 

"  He  has  committed  two  great  sins :  he  has  attacked  the  Pope's  crown 
and  the  monks'  bellies,"  Doctor  Erasmus  replies. 

Frederick  laughs. 

"  Please  give  me  a  serious  answer." 

"  AVell,  then,  the  cause  of  all  this  trouble  is  the  hatred  of  the  monks 
and  friars  to  knowledge.  They  see  that  if  the  people  acquire  such  knowl- 
edge as  Luther  wishes  them  to  have,  there  will  be  an  end  to  their  tyr- 
anny and  power.  If  the  emperor  imprison  Luther,  it  will  be  a  bad  be- 
ginning for  him.  The  world  is  thirsting  for  truth.  Let  the  matter  be 
examined  by  %vise  nien  :  that  will  be  the  best  thing  for  the  Pope  and  for 
all  concerned." 

They  are  wise  words,  and  Frederick  repeats  them  to  the  emperor. 
Charles  will  not  seize  Doctor  Luther. 

Doctor  Luther  makes  appeal  to  the  Council  of  the  Empire,  or  Diet, 
as  the  Germans  call  it,  which  is  composed  of  the  emjieror,  the  electors, 
princes,  counts,  barons,  representatives  of  the  free  cities,  and  other  great 
men  of  the  realm. 

"  The  Pope  is  superior  to  all  others,"  say  those  opposed  to  Luther. 

"  The  council  is  superior  to  the  Pope,"  Doctor  Luther  replies. 


230  THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 

The  Pope  does  not  wish  for  a  council.  The  very  fact  of  its  meeting 
will  be  the  upsetting  of  his  claim  of  superiority.  It  will  be  a  declaration 
of  liberty.  AVhat  shall  Charles  do  ?  He  would  like  to  please  the  Pope ; 
he  wants  him  on  his  side  in  the  fight  which  he  is  going  to  have  with 
Francis :  he  wants,  at  the  same  time,  to  please  his  German  subjects,  for 
he  needs  money  and  troops.  If  he  seizes  Doctor  Luther,  will  they  not  be 
offended  ?     Upon  the  whole,  it  will  be  better  to  have  the  council. 

The  council  meets  in  the  old  city  of  Worms.  The  emperor  sends  his 
marshal,  dressed  in  a  gorgeous  uniform,  bearing  a  golden  eagle,  as  the  em- 
blem of  imperial  authority,  to  summon  Doctor  Luther  to  attend  it. 

The  Town  Council  of  Wittenberg  obtain  a  carriage  for  their  preacher. 
Three  of  his  friends  accompany  him — to  die  with  him,  if  need  be,  in  be- 
half of  liberty.  They  reach  the  old  town  of  Weimar.  The  Pope's  agents 
are  there  posting  up  a  paper,  in  which  everybody  is  commanded  to  aban- 
don the  heretic. 

"  Will  you  go  on  ?"  asks  the  herald  of  the  empire. 

"  Go  on  !  Yes  ;  though  I  am  interdicted  in  every  city.  The  emperor 
has  given  me  his  safe-conduct — the  promise  that  I  shall  not  be  harmed 
while  going  or  coming,"  Doctor  Luther  replies. 

"  They  will  burn  you  as  they  burned  John  lluss,"  say  his  friends. 

"  Though  they  should  make  a  fire  extending  from  Wittenberg  to 
Worms,  and  flaming  to  the  skies,  I  will  pass  through  it  in  behalf  of  truth 
and  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  is  the  reply. 

"  The  emperor  will  deliver  you  over  to  be  burned,  as  Sigismund  de- 
livered John  Huss.  Don't  go,"  is  the  word  which  one  of  Frederick's  chief 
advisers  sends  him. 

"  Though  there  be  as  many  devils  in  Worms  as  there  are  tiles  on  the 
roofs,  I  will  go,"  is  the  word  which  Luther  sends  back. 

He  arrives  in  sight  of  the  city  where  he  is  to  stand  up  before  the  great 
men  of  the  empire  in  behalf  of  truth  and  liberty.  Has  the  boy  who  sung 
for  his  breakfast  forgotten  how  to  sing  ?  ISTot  yet.  He  stands  up  in  his 
carriage,  and  his  clear  voice  breaks  forth  in  a  liynm  : 

"  God  is  a  castle  and  defence, 

When  trouble  and  distress  invade ; 

He'll  help  and  free  us  from  offence, 

And  ever  shield  us  with  his  aid." 

There  is  great  excitement  in  Worms.  Everybody  is  asking  if  he  will 
come. 

"  He  is  coming  !"  The  shout  rings  through  the  streets.  A  great 
crowd  pours  out  from  the  city-gates — a  multitude  far  greater  than  that 


234  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

uproar.  The  people  will  not,  or  cannot,  move,  and  the  herald  has  to  take 
Doctor  Luther  through  gardens  and  by-wajs  to  the  council-chamber. 

The  emperor  is  seated  on  a  throne.  Around  him  are  his  brother  (the 
Archduke  Ferdinand)  and  the  electors  of  the  empire.  There  are  eighty 
dukes,  thirty  archbishops  and  bishops,  the  ambassadors  of  France  and 
England,  the  Pope's  ambassador  —  more  than  two  hundi-ed  great  digni- 
taries in  all. 

No  Avonder  the  Pope  did  not  want  the  council  to  meet.  Has  he  not 
forbidden  Doctor  Luther's  speaking?  Yet  here  he  is  about  to  address 
the  greatest  assembly  ever  seen  iu  Germany  !  Has  not  the  Pope  for- 
bidden everybody  from  listening  to  him  ?  Yet  here  is  an  immense  mul- 
titude waiting  to  hear  what  he  will  say.  Has  not  the  Pope  declared  that 
he  is  an  outlaw,  with  no  rights  that  any  one  is  bound  to  respect?  Yet 
here  he  is  recognized  as  having  rights  which  the  emperor  is  bound  to 
acknowledge.  Liberty  has  made  some  progress  since  that  evening  when 
the  young  preacher,  who  sung  for  his  breakfast  in  boyhood,  nailed  that 
paper  upon  the  door  of  the  AVittenberg  church. 

After  much  struggling  and  pushing,  the  marshal  and  Doctor  Luther 
reach  the  council-hall. 

"  I  have  two  questions  to  ask  you,"  says  the  Archbishop  of  Treves, 
opening  the  examination,  and  pointing  to  some  books  on  the  table. 

"  Did  you  write  these  books  ?" 

"  I  do  not  deny  having  written  those  books,"  is  the  answer,  after  the 
titles  are  read. 

"  Will  you  take  back  what  you  have  written  ?" 

"As  to  taking  back  anything  in  accordance  with  the  Word  of  God,  I 
must  act  deliberately.     I  will  give  you  my  answer  to-morrow." 

The  council  breaks  up  for  the  day.  The  crowd  in  the  streets  admire 
the  courage  of  a  man  who  dares  to  stand  by  his  rights  and  for  the  truth 
in  such  an  assembly — who  even  compels  all  the  archbishops  and  the  em- 
peror to  wait  upon  him. 

Again  Doctor  Luther  stands  in  the  council.  He  is  about  to  speak. 
The  Archbishop  of  Treves  cannot  bear  to  have  a  man  whom  the  Pope 
has  forbidden  to  speak  stand  there  and  compel  everybody  to  listen'  to 
him. 

"  Will  you,  or  will  you  not,  retract  ?"  shouts  the  archbishop. 

Doctor  Luther  looks  around.  He  is  in  the  council's  hands.  What 
shall  he  say?  Shall  he  take  all  back?  Liberty  has  led  him;  shall  he 
now  desert  her?  God  has  walked,  as  it  were,  by  his  side;  shall  he  dis- 
trust the  Being  who  has  protected  him  hitherto  ? 


I 


PLANS  THAT  DID  NOT  COME  TO  PASS.  237 

'-'I cannot  and  I  will  not  retract  anything.     God  Icelp  me!    AmenP^ 

Leo  has  his  answer. 

"The  court  will  meet  again  to-morrow  to  hear  the  emperor's  jiulg- 
ment,"  is  tlie  proclamation  of  the  marshal ;  and  the  great  throng  breaks 
up.  Doctor  Luther  goes  back  to  his  liotel.  A  servant  comes  in  with  a 
silver  tankard  filled  with  beer,  sent  by  the  old  duke,  Eric  of  Brunswick. 

"As  the  duke  remembers  me  to-da^',  so  may  the  Lord  Jesns  remember 
him  in  his  !iingdom,"  is  the  blessing  uttered  by  the  doctor. 

Once  more  the  council  assembles.     The  emperor  gives  his  decision. 

"A  single  monk,  misled  by  his  own  folly,  stands  up  against  the  faith 
of  Christendom.  I  will  sacrifice  my  kingdom,  my  power,  my  treasure, 
my  body,  my  blood,  my  mind,  and  my  life  to  stop  this  impiety." 

Then  the  emperor  goes  on  forbidding  any  one  to  give  Doctor  Luther 
anything  to  eat  or  drink,  or  to  aid  him  in  any  way.  As  soon  as  the  safe- 
conduct  expires,  all  ofiicers  are  ordered  to  seize  him,  and  hold  him  as  a 
prisoner,  till  the  emperor  shall  decide  what  shall  be  done  with  him. 

So  the  emperor,  twenty-one  years  of  age,  decides.  He  has  made  one 
mistake.  He  makes  the  decision  himself,  and  does  not  consult  the  princes, 
dukes,  and  electors.  It  is  only  a  few  months  since  he  was  elected  em- 
peror, and  now  he  takes  all  the  responsibility  of  deciding  a  momentous 
question,  affecting  the  interests  of  all  his  subjects.  The  dukes  and  nobles 
think  that  they  are  entitled  to  have  something  to  say  upon  public  affairs. 
Why  did  the  emperor  call  them  into  council,  if  they  are  to  have  no  voice 
in  the  matter?  Are  they  dummies  only?  They  do  not  altogether  relish 
the  course  pursued  by  tlie  young  man  from  Spain. 

Doctor  Luther  is  on  his  journey  homeward,  riding  through  a  dark  for- 
est, along  a  lonely  road.  Suddenly  a  party  of  horsemen  make  their  ap- 
pearance. They  seize  him,  throw  a  cloak  over  him,  compel  him  to  mount 
a  horse.  It  is  the  work  of  a  moment,  and  then  the}'  disappear  with  him 
through  the  woods.  Lie  is  gone  almost  before  the  men  who  are  with  him 
know  what  has  happened.  Have  his  enemies  spirited  him  aM'ay?  His 
friends  wring  their  hands  in  despair. 

The  horsemen  ride  with  him,  fast  and  furious,  through  the  forest,  along 
lonely  roads — sometimes  turning  back  and  riding  over  the  road  a  second 
time — turning  east,  west,  north,  and  south,  so  that  no  one  shall  be  able  to 
follow  them.  They  strike  into  paths  that  seem  to  lead  nowhere.  Once 
they  stop  and  rest,  and  give  him  a  drink  of  water.  Xo  one  speaks.  Kight 
comes,  but  on  they  ride  in  the  dark,  beneath  the  tall  trees,  over  hills, 
through  vallej-s.  At  last  they  climb  a  steep  hill,  and  come  to  a  great  stone 
castle.     The  heavy  gate  swings  upon  its  hinges,  and  the  horsemen  pass  in. 


238 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


It  closes.      They  take  him  from  his  horse,  lead  him  to  a  chamber,  and 
point  to  a  knight's  uniform  which  lies  there. 


LUTHER    AND    THE    POPE. 

(From  an  Old  Piiut.) 


"  Take  off  vonr  clothes  and  pnt  it  on,"  says  one  of  the  men. 

The  doctor  obeys. 

"  Your  name  is  Knight  George.  Yon  are  to  let  your  hair  and  beard 
grow." 

The  horsemen  go  out.  lie  is  in  a  small  room,  with  one  little  window. 
A  servant  brings  some  food,  but  does  not  talk  with  him.  He  lies  down 
upon  his  cot,  and  awakes  in  the  morning.  He  can  look  out  through  the 
gratings  of  the  little  window  and  see  a  great  forest  —  nothing  more. 
Where  is  he  ?  He  does  not  know.  He  only  knows  that  he  is  a  prison- 
er; that  he  has  a  new  name;  and  that  his  captors  treat  him  kindly. 

What  an  upsetting  of  plans  there  has  been  since  last  night !  The  em- 
peror had  his  plans — to  have  Doctor  Luther  arrested  as  soon  as  his  safe- 
conduct  expired.     So  would  he  keep  on  good  terms  with  the  Pope. 

Leo  had  his  plans.  He  was  going  to  burn  the  heretic.  But  Luther 
has  suddenly  disappeared,  whither  he  does  not  know.  With  the  arch- 
heretic  burned,  the  heresy  would  soon  die  out,  peiliaps  ;  but  now  it  will 
go  on.  All  of  the  emperor's  plans  to  please  the  Pope  and  secure  him  as 
his  ally  against  the  King  of  France  have  been  overturned.  The  bulls 
which  Leo  has  issued  are  so  much  waste  paper,  and  the  cause  of  liberty 
will  go  on.     It  will  roll  like  a  wave  over  Germany.     It  will  sweep  across 


PLANS  THAT   DID   NOT   COME  TO   PASS. 


239 


the  sea  to  England ;  and  as  the  centuries  go  by,  it  will  surge  across  the 
Atlantic  to  the  New  World,  which  those  sea-captains  from  Bristol  dis- 
covered ;  and  in  time  it  will  sweep  around  the  globe.  All  this  will  have 
a  vital  connection  with  the  thought  which  has  come  to  Frederick,  Elector 
of  Saxony,  that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  seize  Doctor  Luther  secretl}'', 
and  shut  him  up  where  nobody  will  be  able  to  find  him.  Whence  came 
the  thought  ?  What  put  it  into  Frederick's  head  ?  Was  there  not  a  plan 
higher  than  the  emperor's  and  the  Pope's  ? 

1  Months  pass.  Doctor  Luther's  friends  think  of  him  as  having  been 
secretly  put  to  death.  His  enemies  begin  to  think  that  the  heretic  will 
trouble  them  no  more ;  and  yet  all  the  while  he  is  hard  at  work  doing  for 
Germany  just  what  Doctor  Wicklif  did  for  England — translating  the  Bi- 
ble, and  so  helping  on  the  canse  of  liberty. 

In  the  solitude  and  quiet  of  the  old  castle,  shut  in  from  the  world  and 
his  enemies,  he  translates  the  great  text -book  of  human  freedom  —  the 
Bible. 

Three  hundred  and  fifty  years  have  passed  since  then ;  and  of  Luther's 
translation  it  is  estimated  that  three  hundred  and  sixty  million  copies  of 
the  Bible  have  been  printed. 


VIEW   FROM    ALBERT   DrRER  S    HOUSE. 


240  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

A  large  number  of  the  priests  join  Luther,  some  preaching  against 
the  Pope,  others  M-riting  pamphlets.  Printing-presses  have  been  set  up 
all  over  Europe ;  poets  write  songs,  painters  produce  pictures,  and  the 
hawkers  peddle  them  through  every  hamlet ;  and  people  discuss  questions 
which,  till  now,  they  never  have  thought  of  discussing.  By  thinking  for 
themselves,  men  begin  to  assert  their  rights  and  liberties. 

Nearly  all  the  great  artists  and  painters  in  Germany  and  Holland 
sympathized  with  Luther,  notwithstanding  the  Pope  was  their  patron. 
One  of  them— Albert  Diirer,  of  Nuremberg — was  greatly  grieved  when 
he  heard  that  Luther  had  been  seized,  and  probably  killed.  Diirer's  house 
looked  out  upon  the  old  Castle  of  Nuremberg,  which  stood  on  a  high  hill. 
Li  the  castle  was  a  torture -chamber,  filled  with  terrible  instruments  for 
inflicting  pain  :  pincers,  thumb-screws,  clubs,  knobby  tables,  and  a  great 
iron  Virgin,  as  it  was  called,  which  embraced  the  victim  with  its  iron 
arms,  pierced  him  with  spikes,  and  then,  when  life  M'as  extinct,  the  vic- 
tim's body  would  drop  into  a  well  two  hundred  feet  in  depth,  and  none 
would  know  what  had  happened. 

The  revolt  of  the  people  was  not  only  against  the  abuses  of  the  monks 
and  the  authority  of  the  Pope,  but  it  was  the  first  clear  insight  which  had 
come  to  them  of  their  natural  and  individual  rights. 


THE   MAN   WHO   SPLIT  THE   CHURCH   IN   TWAIN. 


2il 


I 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

THE   MAN  WHO   SPLIT   THE   CHURCH   IN   TWAIN. 

ATIIERINE  OF  ARAGON  is  forty-four  years  old.  The  frcslmess 
has  faded  from  her  cheeks.  She  is  a  true  wife,  but  Henry  is  tired 
of  her.  He  is  thirty-eiglit,  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood.  He  is  not  a  true 
husband,  for  he  finds  more  pleasure  in  the  society  of  Anne  Boleyn  than 
with  Katherine.     Anne  is  a  lady  of  the  court.     Henry  kisses  her  at  a  ban- 


K 


■r^         —      - 


WOLSEYS    PALACE. 

quet  which  Cardinal  Wolsey  gives  in  the  magnificent  palace  that  he  has 
erected  witli  the  money  which  he  raked  in  from  Charles,  from  Henry, 
from  the  sale  of  church-livings,  from  taxation.  It  is  a  grand  pile  of  build- 
ings, with  spacious  grounds  around. 

The  king  sits  by  Anne's  side,  gazing  upon  her  fair  face,  charmed  by 
her  pleasing  ways,  and  enchanted  by  her  matchless  beauty. 

16 


242 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Strange  that  a  woinaii's  smile  should  change  a  nation's  destiny ;  that 
a  fair  face  should  be  the  means,  as  it  were,  of  giving  a  new  direction  to 
the  current  of  human  affairs  !  Wonderful  that  through  the  love  of  a  man 
for  a  woman  should  come  the  rending  of  the  Church  of  Rome!  Marvel- 
lous that  in  the  reckless  passion  of  a  hard-hearted,  cruel  despot  should  lie 
enfolded,  as  it  were,  the  rights,  the  liberties,  the  advancement,  of  the  hu- 
man race ! 

Great  changes  have  taken  place  in  Europe  since  Henry  met  Anne, 


HENRT    AND    ANNE. 


twelve  years  ago,  at  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold.  It  is  1532.  Doctor 
Martin  Luther,  of  Wittenberg,  has  been  preaching  and  writing.  Thanks 
to  Laurence  Coster  and  John  Guttenberg,  the  world  may  know  what  is 
going  on,  and  what  people  think.  Men  do  not  now  take  all  their  opinions 
from  the  Pope,  especially  in  Germany,  in  Holland,  and  France.  Martin 
Luther's  doctrines  have  made  little  progress  in  England.  Henry  and  Car- 
dinal Wolsey  are  fast  friends  of  the  Pope.  Henry  is  Defender  of  the 
Faith — a  strong  pillar  to  the  Church. 


THE   MAN  WHO   SPLIT   THE   CHURCH   IN   TWAIN. 


243 


Leo  X.  is  dead  ;  but  his  nephew,  another  of  the  Medici  family,  is  seated 
in  the  pontifical  chair.     Cardinal  Wolsey  intended  to   be  Tope,  and  ex- 
pected that  Charles,  for  whom  he  had  done  so  much,  and  who  had  made 
him   so   many   solemn 
promises,   would    aid 
him ;  but  the  cardinal 

has    discovered     that  i 

kings  can  play  false  as 
VA'cU  as  other  men.  - 

During  these  twelve  .   ~ 

years, Charles  and  Fran- 
cis have  been  at  war. 
In  February,  1524, 
their  armies  met  at 
Pavia,  in  Italy,  wliere 
Francis  was  defeated, 
and  captured.  Charles 
kept  him  in  prison  a 
year,  and  subjected  him 
to  humiliating  terms 
before  releasing  him. 
Charles  is  a  good  Cath- 
olic, but  he  has  been 
fighting  the  Pope,  and 
his  troops  have  sack- 
ed the  city  of  Rome. 

Cardinal  Wolsey  rode  next  the  king  at  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of 
Gold,  and  he  rides  next  him  now.  He  has  had  his  own  way  in  every- 
thing. He  lives  in  great  state.  Lords  and  nobles  do  his  bidding.  He  is 
proud  and  arrogant.  One  day  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  is  holding  a  gold 
basin  while  Henry  washes  his  hands,  and  Cardinal  Wolsey  dips  his  own 
hands  into  the  dish,  whereupon  the  duke  spills  the  water  upon  the  cardi- 
nal's red  slippers. 

"  I  will  sit  on  your  skirts,  sir,"  says  Wolsey. 

What  he  means  by  that  Buckingham  soon  discovers,  for  the  sheriff 
comes  with  an  order  from  Henry  for  his  arrest  and  commitment  to  the 
Tower.  He  has  spoken  imprudent  words,  and  Wolsey  persuades  Henry 
that  the  duke  is  meditating  treason.  In  the  ''Bloody  Tower"  Bucking- 
ham meets  his  fate. 

"  Off  Avith  his  head  !     So  much  for  Buckino;ham." 


l^wXI-1.) 


MAIN    ENTRANCE    TO    W  OL'iLl  &    P\LACF 


2-li 


THE   STOKY   OF  LIBERTY. 


The  Kins  of  Ensland  can  cut  off  the  heads  of  his  greatest  nobles  as 


BUCKINGHAM. 


-'ell  as  of  Ills  poorest  subjects.     He  is  supreme,  and  the  people  are  slaves 

to  his  will.  Will  the  time  ever  come 
when  kings  will  be  amenable  to  law  ? 
Yes ;  and  this  despot  will  himself 
unwittingly  strike  a  great  blow  for 
human  freedom. 

Henry  is  tired  of  Katherine  ;  how 
shall  he  get  rid  of  her  ?  He  has  been 
thinking  the  matter  over.  He  recalls 
the  question  whether  or  not  it  was 
i-ight  that  he  should  marry  his  broth- 
er's widow.  He  protested  when  the 
betrothal  was  proposed  ;  but  that  was 
in  his  boyhood.  His  father  came  to 
the  conclusion  before  his  death  tliat 
the  betrothal  was  illegal,  and  dis- 
solved the  contract;  but  Henry  loved 
Katherine  then,  and  would  not  break  the  engagement.  Xatherine  is  the 
mother  of  his  onlj^  child,  Mary ;  but,  for  all  that,  Henry  begins  to  donl)t 
if  the  marriage  was  legal,  notwithstanding  the  Pope  gave  his  sanction,  li 
it  was  illegal,  then  he  ought  to  be  divorced  ;  but,  if  divorced,  then  Mary 
would  not  be  heir  to  the  throne.  What  shall  he  do  ?  He  loves  Anne. 
The  passion  grows  ;  he  must  have  her  for  a  wife — she  is  so  fresh  and  fair, 
so  M'itty  and  captivating. 

Henry  places  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  Cardinal  Wolsey,  who  sends 
an  ambassador  to  Rome  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  Pope,  who  promises 
to  set  aside  the  marriage. 

Charles  finds  out  what  is  going  on.  Katherine  is  his  aunt,  and  he 
enters  his  protest.  What  shall  the  Pope  do  ?  Charles  is  powerful ;  his 
troops  have  once  plundered  Rome,  and  may  do  so  again.  Henry  must 
wait  a  little.  He  sends  Cardinal  Camjjeggio  to  England  to  sit  with  Wol- 
sey, as  legates,  Avith  power  to  decide  the  question  of  divorcement.  He 
writes  out  a  bull  setting  aside  the  marriage,  which  the  cardinal  may  show 
to  Henry ;  but  he  is  not  to  give  it  him  till  he  can  make  things  right 
with  Charles. 

The  cardinals  hold  a  court  in  Blackfriars  Palace,  and  Henry  and 
Katherine  appear  before  them. 

'•  I  am  ready  to  stand  by  the  decision  of  the  Pope's  legates,"  says 
Hem-v. 


THE   MAN   WHO   SPLIT  THE   CHURCH   IN  TWAIN. 


245 


"  I  am  3'Our  truly  wedded  wife,"  is  Katlierine's  exclamation  as  she 
falls  at  Henry's  feet.  She  will  not  recognize  the  cardinals,  turns  her  back 
upon  them,  and  leaves  the  room. 

Cardinal  Campeggio  goes  back  to  Home.  Months  pass.  Henry  is 
impatient  and  dissatisfied  with  Wolsey,  who  has  had  the  management  of 
affaii-s.     But  what  shall  he  do  ? 

One    day  Doctor   Thomas   Ci-anmer,  of  Cambridge,  is    dining    with 


'iHte 


BUCKINGHAM    ON    HIS    WAY    TO    PEISON. 


ptephen  Gardiner,  Cardinal   Wolsey's   secretary,  whom    we    saw   at   the 
^ield  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold. 

"Why  does  not  the  king  lay  the  matter  before  the  chief  ministers  and 
loctors  of  Europe,  and  let  them  examine  the  lawfulness  of  the  marriage  ?" 
)octor  Craniner  asks. 

It  is  a  new  idea,  and  Gardiner  makes  it  known  to  Henry,  who  invites 


246 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


the  doctor  to  London,  and  finds  that  he  is  able  and  learned.  He  lays  the 
matter  before  the  Oxford  doctors,  who  decide  that  the  marriage  was  il- 
legal; the  Cambridge  doctors  say  the  same.     He  sends  a  learned  man  to 


THE    COUKT    AT    BLACKFKlAliS. 


Italy,  and  some  of  the  doctors  there  coincide  with  the  opinion.  They 
discover  a  lot  of  old  Greek  manuscripts,  which  show  that  the  doctors  in 
old  times  were  of  their  way  of  thinking.  Henry  consults  the  Jewish  rab- 
bies,  who  say  that  in  Judea,  when  a  man  died  leaving  no  children,  a 
brother  nn'ght  marry  the  widow  to  preserve  possessions,  but  they  thought 
it  would  be  illegal  out  of  Judea. 

The  Paris  doctors,  after  three  weeks'  study,  agree  that  the  marriage 
was  a  lawful  one ;  and  the  doctors  at  Toulon,  Anglers,  and  Orleans  are  of 
the  same  way  of  thinking.  John  Calvin,  a  learned  doctor  in  Geneva,  says 
it  was  illegal.  Philip  Melancthon,  another  learned  doctor,  Martin  Lu- 
ther's best  friend,  thinks  that  it  was  lawful,  but  that  it  may  be  set  aside. 

Henry  sends  Doctor  Cranmer,  Stephen  Gardiner,  and  Edward  Bonner 
to  argue  the  matter  before  the  Pope.  The  Pope  listens,  but  makes  no 
answer.  Henry  is  impatient;  he  will  wait  no  longer.  As  the  Pope  has 
promised  to  set  aside  tlie  marriage,  and  has  once  written  out  the  bull,  as 
the  doctors  of  Cambridge  and  Oxford  say  it  was  illegal,  Henry  leaves 


THE   MAN  WHO   SPLir  THE   CHURCH   IN   TWAIN. 


247 


Katherine,  and  is  privately  married  to  Anne.  No  longer  may  the  true- 
hearted  queen  live  in  one  of  the  king's  palaces.  She  goes  into  the  coun- 
try. She  is  not  even  permitted  to  have  Mary  with  her.  With  a  break- 
ing heart,  she  writes  to  Charles  of  the  indignity  heaped  upon  her;  and 
Charles  stirs  up  the  Pope  to  summon  Henry  to  appear  at  Rome  and  give 
an  account  of  himself. 

"Appear  at  Rome  and  give  an  account  of  myself!  Tell  the  Pope 
that  I  am  a  sovereign  prince,  and  that  he  has  no  authority  in  England." 

Out  of  this  reply  shall  come  the  freedom  of  a  nation.  The  people, 
the  nobles,  are  with  the  king.  Cardinal  Wolsey  makes  all  the  Church 
appointments  in  England ;  and  as  he  is  managing  affairs  for  the  king,  it 
will  be  for  the  interest  of  all  the  prelates  to  be  on  the  king's  side.  Par- 
liament decides  that  no  cause  affecting  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  shall 
be  judged  outside  of  the  realm  :  any  person  executing  any  censure  of  the 
Pope  shall  be  punished. 

Never  before  has  the  Parliament  of  England  exercised  such  indepen- 
dence.    New  times  have  come. 

Henry  appoints  Doctor  Cranmer  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  Tlieie  is 
no  reason  why  the  Pope 

should    not    confirm    so  ~     "~ 

able  and  learned  a  man, 
and,  though  Henry  and 
Parliament  are  taking 
tilings  out  of  his  hands, 
he  sends  a  bull  for  his 
consecration.    The  doctor 

I  does  not  desire  the  office, 
md  upon  taking  the  oath 

lakes  this  protestation  : 
"  Not  to  be  bound  by 
[anything  contrary  to  what 

II  conceive  to  be  my  duty 
God  and  to  the  king." 

It  is  the  right  of  pri- 
vate judgment.  He  will 
think  for  himself.  Par- 
liament takes  up  the  mar- 
riage of  Katherine.    Was 

the     marriage     lawful  \  "  -      -* 

Se\en   lords   say  it  was,  the  old  guildhall,  london. 


248  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

fourteen  say  it  was  not.  Of  the  Commons,  two  linndred  and  sixteen  say- 
it  was  not ;  none  say  it  was.  The  question  goes  to  the  bishops,  who  hold 
tlieir  court.  They  summon  Henry  and  Ivathei-ine  before  them ;  but 
Katherine  will  not  recognize  them  as  a  court.  The  Pope  is  the  one  to 
whom  she  appeals.  The  bishops  declare  her  contumacious  of  their  au- 
thority ;  and  they  decree  that  the  marriage  of  Henry  and  Katherine  is 
null  and  void. 

A  few  days  later  there  is  a  grand  pageant  on  the  Thames.  The  Lord 
Mayor  of  Loudon  comes  down  from  Guildhall,  and  steps  into  his  gilded 
barge,  to  lead  a  procession  of  boats.  He  wears  a  scarlet  cloak  trimmed 
with  gold-lace,  and  is  accompanied  by  all  the  great  men  of  tlie  realm — 
tilling  fifty  barges.  Li  one  boat  sits  a  dragon  with  a  long  tail.  From  the 
monster's  mouth  issues  a  stream  of  fire.  Another  barge  carries  the  rep- 
resentation of  a  mound  supporting  a  tree  covered  with  red  and  white 
roses,  for  the  Wars  of  the  Koses  (the  houses  of  York  and  Lancaster)  are 
over,  and  the  great  families  are  living  in  peace.  Upon  the  tree  sits  a 
white  falcon.  Beneath  its  branches  sit  a  group  of  girls,  waving  flags  and 
singing  songs.  There  are  Iiigh-born  young  ladies,  who  grace  the  occasion 
by  their  presence.  Thousands  of  boats  follow  in  the  wake  of  the  pro- 
cession. 

There  is  still  another  barge,  more  gorgeous  than  all  others,  containing 
another  company  of  high-born  ladies,  one  of  whom  is  seated  in  a  gold- 
en chair  beneath  a  golden  canopy.  We  have  seen  her  before.  We  first 
saw  her  here  upon  the  Thames,  twenty  years  ago,  when  she  was  but  seven 
years  of  age — on  that  stormy  day  when  Mary,  King  Henry's  sister,  took 
her  departure  for  Fi'ance,  to  be  the  wife  of  old  Louis  XIL  We  saw  her 
again  at  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  twelve  years  ago — the  fairest  and 
wittiest  of  all  the  ladies  there.  Now  she  is  the  wife  of  King  Llenry,  and 
to-morrow  she  is  to  be  crowned  Queen  of  England — Anne  Boleyn. 

As  the  royal  procession  passes  up  the  stream,  the  people  look  out  upon 
it  from  the  quaint  old  houses  huddled  along  the  shore.  The  rowers  ply 
their  oars  ;  the  cannon  thunder  ;  bells  ring  ;  the  people  rend  the  air  with 
shouting.  The  procession  moves  from  the  king's  palace  in  Greenwich  to 
the  Tower.  King  Henry  greets  Anne  at  the  landing  with  a  kiss,  and  es- 
corts lier  into  the  Tower. 

This  on  Saturday.  On  Sunday  morning  all  London  is  astir,  for  there 
is  to  be  a  grand  coronation  procession.  The  houses  along  the  streets 
through  which  the  procession  is  to  pass  are  hung  with  crimson  and  scar- 
let. The  Lord  Mayor,  in  crimson  velvet,  leads  the  procession.  After  him 
rides  the  French  ambassador,  in  a  blue-velvet  coat,  with  sleeves  of  blue 


THE   MAN   WHO   SPLIT   THE   CHURCH   IX   TWAIN. 


249 


and  yellow.  Then  come  the  judges,  in  then-  gowns  ;  then  the  Knights  of 
the  Bath,  in  velvet  gowns  and  lioods ;  then  the  abbots,  the  bishops,  the 
Archbishop  of  York  ;  the  ambassador  from  Venice  ;  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  ;  the  great  men — lords,  earls,  dukes;  the  Lord  High  Constable, 
Duke  of  Suffolk  (Charles  Brandon),  who  married  Mary  after  the  death  of 
Louis  XII.  Anne  Boleyn  rides  in  a  litter  boi'ne  by  two  horses — one  be- 
fore, and  the  otlier  behind.  The  litter  is  covered  with  cloth  of  gold.  The 
horses  are  caparisoned  with  white  damask,  and  led  by  footmen  in  livery. 

Anne  wears  a  dress  of  silver  tissue,  and  a  mantle  lined  with  ermine. 
Her  hair  liangs  in  loose  tresses  upon  her  shoulders.  Upon  her  brow  rests 
a  coronet  set  with  rubies.  Four  knights  bear  a  canopy,  to  shelter  her 
from  the  sun. 

Two  chariots  filled  with  ladies,  and  fourteen  ladies  on  horseback,  with 
thirty  waiting -maids,  follow  the  queen,  accompanied  by  noblemen,  who 
act  as  guards.  Besides  these,  there  is  a  great  following  of  merchants  and 
of  children. 

Fountains  of  Rhine-wine  are  erected  along  the  streets,  and  the  people 
drink  all  that  they  wish,  at  the  expense  of  the  king — forgetting  that,  after 
all,  they  will  have  to  foot  the  bill  by  increased  taxes.     School -children 


I 
I 


WESTMINSTKR,    1532. 

sing  ballads ;  poets  recite  verses.  A  gentleman  presents  Anne  with  a 
purse  filled  with  gold.  There  are  triumphal  arches,  festoons,  banners ; 
the  cannon  thunder  again,  the  bells  clang  once  more,  and  the  people  shout 
themselves  hoarse,  as  the  procession  moves  from  the  Tower  to  Westminster 
Abbey.  All  the  great  men,  all  the  noble  ladies  of  England,  are  there. 
The  mayor  carries  Anne's  sceptre  ;  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  her  ivorj'  rod  ; 
the  Earl  of  Oxfoi'd,  the  crown  ;  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  the  silver  wand  ; 


250 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


Lord  Howard,  the  marshal's  staff.  The  Bishops  of  London  and  Winches- 
ter hold  the  lappets  of  Anne's  robe;  the  old  Duchess  of  Norfolk  carries 
her  train. 

Anne  takes  a  seat  in  a  gilded  chair ;  wliile  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 


KETURN  FKOM  THE  CHRISTENING. 


bury  reads  the  Collects,  anoints  her  forehead  and  breast,  places  the  crown 
upon  her  brow,  and  hands  her  the  sceptre.  The  choir  sing  a  Te  Deum, 
mass  is  performed,  and  the  procession  returns  to  Westminster  Hall,  to  the 
banquet. 

At  the  dinner,  the  Earl  of  Essex  is  chief  carver ;  the  Earl  of  Arundel, 
chief  butler;  twelve  noblemen  act  as  cup-bearers;  Lord  Burgojne  is  chief 
larder;  Viscount  Lile,  chief  pantler — his  chief  business  is  to  look  after 
the  bread ;  while  the  Marquis  of  Oxford  keeps  the  buttery  bar.  It  is  Sir 
Thomas  Wyatt's  business  to  pour  scented  water  on  Anne's  hands.  The 
Countess  of  Oxford  and  the  Countess  of  Worcester  stand  near  Anne,  with 
a  cloth  in  their  liands,  to  wipe  her  nose,  in  case  she  needs  such  service. 
Two  ladies  sit  at  the  queen's  feet.  When  all  are  in  their  places,  the  Duke 
of  Suffolk  and  Lord  Howard  ride  into  the  hall  on  horseback,  escorting  the 
Knights  of  the  Bath,  who  bring  twenty-seven  dishes  for  the  queen.     The 


THE   MAX  WHO   SPLIT  THE   CHURCH   IN  TWAIN. 


251 


trumpets  sound,  and  the  feasting  begins.  King  Henry  takes  no  part  in 
this  demonstration  of  his  subjects,  but  looks  on  from  a  little  closet,  and 
enjoys  the  scene. 

Not  many  weeks  after  the  coronation,  Anne  gives  birth  to  a  babe — a 
daughter.  There  is  great  rejoicing ;  but  there  would  have  been  greater 
joy  if  it  were  a  son.  There  is  still  another  grand  pageant  on  the  Thames 
when  the  babe  is  taken  to  Westminster,  where  it  is  christened  Elizabeth. 

Cardinal  Wolsey  is  in  his  glory — still  the  most  powerful  man  in  the 
realm.  He  gives  grand  banquets  and  entertainments  in  the  great  hall  of 
his  palace.     But  there  are  often  sudden  changes  in  the  prospects  of  great 


I 


HALL    IN    CARDINAL    WOLSEY  S    PALACK. 


men.  Henry  is  angry  with  him  for  his  mismanagement  of  the  divorce 
business.  Anne  has  a  grudge  against  him,  for  she  has  discovered  that 
the  cardinal  did  not  intend  that  Henry  should  make  her  his  wife.     The 


252 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


nobles  hate  him,  for  he  was  only  a  butcher's  boy,  and  not  high-born, 
Henry  discovers  that  he  has  been  accumulating  great  wealth.     He  will 


M 


OLD    CHUKCH   AT    AUSTEEFIELD. 

bear  with  him  no  longer.  He  orders  the  cardinal  to  give  up  the  seals  of 
his  office  to  Sir  Thomas  More.  The  Duke  of  Norfolk  brings  the  mes- 
sage that  all  his  property  is  confiscated  to  the  king.  Shakspeare  pictures 
the  scene  in  the  hall  of  Wolsey's  palace  : 

'■'•Norfolk.   So,  fare  you  well,  my  little  good  lord  cardinal. 
Wolsey.  So  farewell  to  the  little  good  you  bear  me. 
Farewell,  a  long  farewell,  to  all  my  greatness  ! 
This  is  the  state  of  man  :    to-day  he  puts  forth 
The  tender  leaves  of  hopes,  to-morrow  blossoms, 
And  bears  his  blushing  honors  thick  upon  him  : 
The  third  day  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost, 
And — when  he  thinks,  good  easy  man,  full  surely 
His  greatness  is  a-ripening — nips  his  root. 
And  then  he  falls,  as  I  do." 

The  cardinal  bids  farewell  to  London,  and  goes  up  the  great  road 
leading  to  York — tlie  road  over  whicli  Margaret,  Henry's  sister,  travelled 
Avhen  she  went  to  Scotland.  In  the  old  manor-house,  at  Scrooby,  he  finds 
a  home  for  a  while.  It  is  lonely  there.  His  greatness  has  all  gone  by,  but 
the  good  people  of  the  little  hamlet  of  Austerfield  still  do  him  reverence 
when  he  enters  the  old  stone  church.     They  see  that  his  locks  are  o-rowing 


THE  MAN   WHO   SPLIT  THE   CHURCH   IN  TWAIN. 


253 


wliite,  that  he  has  a  sad  face,  that  he  walks  feebly.  lie  gives  money  to 
the  poor,  and  they  think  that,  after  all,  he  has  a  kind  heart.  From  Scrooby 
lie  goes  to  Esher.  A  few  months  pass,  and  the  cardinal  is  on  his  death- 
bed, with  this  lament  upon  his  lips : 

"  If  I  had  but  served  my  God  as  faithfully  as  I  have  my  king,  he 
would  not  thus  desert  me  in  my  old  age." 

Liberty  has  not  yet  dawned  upon  the  people  of  England.  To  read 
the  Bible  is  a  great  crime.  Sir  Thomas  More  is  Lord  Chancellor.  lie 
lives  at  Greenwich,  and  is  very  zealous  for  the  faith  as  held  by  the  Church. 
lie  issues  a  proclamation  against  heretics,  ordering  all  laws  against  them 
to  be  put  in  execution.  lie  burns  all  the  Bibles  he  can  lay  his  hands  upon. 
Thomas  Bayfield,  a  monk,  is  discovered  to  have  a  New  Testament  in  his 
possession,  and  is  brought  before  Bishop  Tunstal,  of  London.  In  St,  Paul's, 
Tunstal  strips  off  his  gown,  and  while  the  poor  monk  is  kneeling  at  the 
altar  the  bishop  strikes  him  a  blow  with  his  crozier,  which  knocks  him 
senseless  to  the  floor.  Out  in  Smithfield,  where  the  cattle-dealers  market 
their  beeves,  he  is  chained  to  the  stake.  The  wood  is  green,  and  for 
half  an  hour  he  roasts  in  the  flames.     The  fire  curls  around  his  left  arm 


THE  CARDINALS  HAT  AND  SEAL. 


tand  burns  till  it  drops  from  the  body.     All  the  while  the  brave-hearted 
man  is  praying  for  Sir  Thomas  More  and  Bishop  Tunstal,  and  all  his 
enemies. 
Another  of  Sir  Thomas's  victims  is  James  Bainham,  who  is  burned 


254 


THE   STORY   OF    LIBERTY. 


"  The  Lord  forgive  Sir  Thomas,"  he  prays,  as  he  stands  there  clothed 
with  flames.  His  face  is  radiant.  "  I  feel  no  more  pain  than  when  lying 
on  a  bed  of  down ;  the  fire  is  as  a  bed  of  roses,"  he  cries. 

Thomas  13ilnej  is  a  student  at  Cambridge.     One  day  a  Testament 


in  Latin,  translated  by  Erasmus,  falls  into  his  hands ;  he  has  seen  Latin 
Testaments  before,  but  none  with  such  smooth-flowing  sentences  as  that. 
A  verse  arrests  his  attention. 

"  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ 
Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief." 

If  that  is  true,  then  fasting,  and  penance,  and  masses,  and  indulgences 
are  of  no  account.  He  begins  to  preach,  and  brings  Hugh  Latimer  and 
many  others  to  his  way  of  thinking.  He  travels  through  the  country  do- 
ing good,  giving  alms,  sharing  his  humble  fare  with  the  poor,  till  he  is 
imprisoned.  He  renounces  his  doctrines,  and  is  released ;  but  his  con- 
science troubles  him,  and  he  begins  to  preach  again.  He  is  as  gentle  as 
a  lamb.  He  has  nothing  to  say  against  the  Pope,  or  the  bishops,  or  the 
Church ;  but  he  preaches  the  truth  as  he  understands  it,  not  as  taught  by 
the  Pope  and  bishops.  It  is  private  judgment.  Sir  Thomas  More  cannot 
permit  that,  and  sends  an  order  to  have  him  burned.  It  is  at  Norwich, 
just  outside  the  city  walls,  that  the  officers  chain  him  to  the  stake.  He 
smiles  upon  them.  There  is  no  anger  in  his  heart  toward  any  one.  The 
people  love  him,  he  is  so  sweet  and  tender,  and  they  scowl  upon  the  friars 
who  have  maliciously  accused  him. 

It  is  a  strange  request  which  the  friars  make  of  him  : 

"  Oh,  Master  Bilney  !  the  people  think  that  we  have  caused  you  to  be 


THE   MAX   WHO   SPLIT  THE   CHURCH   IX  TWAIX. 


255 


put  to  death,  unci  they  will  no  longer  give  to  ns,  if  you  do  not  speak  to 
them  in  our  behalf." 

The  man,  with  the  light  of  heaven  on  his  face,  turns  to  the  people : 

"  I  pi-ay  yon,  good  people,  be  never  the  worse  to  these  men  for  my 
sake.     They  are  not  the  authors  of  my  death." 

Not  they — but  the  Lord  High  Chancellor,  Sir  Thomas  More,  as  zealous 
for  the  Church  as  Paul  when  he  held  the  clothes  of  those  who  hurled 
stones  at  Stephen  just  outside  of  the  gate  at  Jerusalem.  Another  day 
will  come  to  Sir  Thomas.  Now  he  is  burning  the  meek-hearted  man  who 
stands  for  the  right  of  private  judgment.  The  time  will  come  when  he 
will  assert  his  right  of  private  judgment,  and  then  we  shall  see  what  will 
happen  to  him. 

One  hundred  years  have  passed  since  the  monks  dug  up  the  bones  of 
Doctor  Wield  if.  If  there  was  little  liberty  in  the  world  then,  there  is 
very  little  now,  although  a  century  has  gone.      If  the  monks  and  priests 


SIR   THOMAS    MOKE. 


were  corrupt  then,  it  is  certain  that  many  of  them  are  leading  scandalous 
lives  in  these  days  of  Henry  VIII.  The  bishops  have  their  courts,  and 
punish  with  a  light  penance  a  crime  in  a  priest,  which  is  atoned  for  only 


256 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


by  death  if  cominitted  by  common  people.     Thomas  Wyseman,  a  priest, 
who  has  led  a  scandalous  life,  is  sentenced  to  do  penance  by  offering  a 
wax-candle  at  the  altar  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Church,  and  say  five  Pater- 
nosters, five   Ave  -  Maiias, 
and  as  many  Credos.    Hav- 
--  -  ing  done  this,  he  pays  six 

shillings  and  eightpence 
into'  the  Bishops'  Court, 
and  is  absolved,  and  can 
go  on  saying  mass  and  ab- 
solving the  people.  But 
the  same  crime  committed 
by  one  of  the  people  is 
punished  with  death. 

There  is  a  long  list  of 
priests    who    are    leading 
scandalous  lives:  The  vic- 
ars  of   Ledburg,  of   Bras- 
myll,  of   Stow,  of   Clome, 
the  parson  of  Wentnor,  of 
Kusburg,  of   Plowden,  the 
Dean    of   Pamtsburg,  and 
many  more. 
The  people  are  losing  confidence  in  priests  who  live  in  sin,  or  who  can 
atone  for  sin  by  offering  a  wax -candle.     They  are  losing  faith  in  the 
Church  that  makes  atonement  so  easy  for  a  priest,  while  it  metes  out  death 
to  everybody  else.     The  rhymers  write  ballads  lampooning  the  priests. 

"I,  Collin  Clout, 
As  I  go  about, 
And  wondering  as  I  walk, 
I  hear  the  people  talk; 
Men  say  for  silver  and  gold 
Mitres  are  bought  and  sold. 
A  straw  for  God's  curse ! 
What  are  thev  the  worse? 


THE   GUILDHALL,  NORWICH, 


'  What  care  the  clergy  thougli  Gill  sweat, 
Or  Jack  of  the  Noke? 
The  poor  people  they  yoke 
With  sumners  and  citations 
And  excomminiications. 


THE   MAN   WHO   SPLIT   THE   CHURCH    IN   TWAIN.  257 


I 


'  But  Doctor  Ballatus 
Pariim  litteratus 
Domiiuis  Doctoratiis, 
At  the  broad-gate  house, 
Doctor  Daupatus 
And  Baclielor  Bacheleratus, 
Drunken  as  a  mouse, 
At  the  ale-house, 
Taketh  his  pillian  and  his  cup 
At  the  good  ale-tap, 
For  lack  of  good  wine. 


•  Such  temporal  war  and  hate, 
As  now  is  made  of  late 
Against  Holy  Church  estate, 
Or  to  maintain  good  quarrels  : 
The  laymen  call  them  barrels 
Full  of  gluttony  and  hypocrisy. 
What  counterfeits  and  paints, 
As  they  were  very  saints!" 


It  is  the  year  1547.  Fourteen  years  Lave  passed  since  Anne  Bolejn's 
coronation.  A  great  man,  with  a  i-ound,  bloated  face,  double  cliin,  coarse 
features,  fat  paunch,  weak  and  helpless,  with  an  offensive  ulcer  on  one  of 
his  legs,  lies  in  bed.  A  fair-looking,  kind-hearted  woman  sits  by  his  side, 
taking  care  of  him.  The  man  is  iifty-six  years  old,  and  has  been  a  king 
thirty-six  years.  His  will  has  been  supreme ;  he  has  had  things  his  own 
way,  but  can  have  them  no  longer,  for  one  mightier  than  lie  is  about  to 
make  him  a  visit— the  king  of  terrors — Death. 

We  saw  him  at  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold ;  we  saw  him  putting 
away  Katherine  of  Aragon,  and  marrying  Anne  Boleyn,  Three  years 
later,  he  chopped  off  Anne's  head,  and  married  Jane  Seymour  the  next 
da}',  who  died  the  next  year  in  giving  birth  to  a  son  —  hapj^ily  for  her. 
lie  married  Anne  of  Cleves,  and  was  divorced  from  her.  Then  he  mar- 
ried Katherine  Howard,  in  July,  1540,  and  cut  her  head  off,  February 
12th,  1542  ;  and  married  Katherine  Parr,  in  July,  1543 — the  woman  who 
is  sitting  by  his  side  and  soothing  his  pain. 

Important  changes  have  taken  place  during  these  years,  in  wliich  great 
things  have  been  unwittingly  done  for  liberty  by  this  man,  so  powerful 
once,  so  weak  and  helpless  now.  The  changes  ha\e  been  brought  about 
through  his  passion  for  Anne  Boleyn. 

The  timid  Pope — destitute  of  conscience  or  moral  principle ;  afraid  of 
Charles;  afraid  of  Henry — promised  to  grant  him  a  divorce  from  Katli- 

17 


258 


THE  STORY   OF  LIBEllTY. 


THK    TOWEU. 


erine,  and  then  failed  to  keep  his  promise.  Archbishop  Cranmei",  speak- 
ing for  the  bishops  of  England,  pronounces  the  marriage  with  Katherine 
illegal,  and  sanctions  his  marriage  with  Anne.  The  Pope  declares  that 
the  bishop  cannot  make  such  a  decision — all  power  belongs  to  him.  The 
Parliament  will  see  about  that,  and  declares  that  the  Pope  has  no  au- 
thority in  England.  The  bishops  decide,  in  their  sessions,  that  the  Pope 
has  no  more  authority  in  England  than  any  other  foreign  bishop,  which  is 
none  at  all. 

The  king  has  always  appointed  the  bishops,  and  Parliament  makes  the 
king  the  head  of  the  Church — thus  setting  the  Pope  aside.  Parliament 
declares  that  Elizabeth,  and  not  Mary,  is  the  true  heir  to  the  crown,  be- 
cause the  marriage  of  Henry  and  Katherine  was  illegal ;  and  they  require 
all  the  nobles  and  bishops  to  swear  to  support  the  law.  If  any  one  re- 
fuses, he  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  high  treason.  Sir  Thomas  More,  who 
has  resigned  his  ofhce  to  Thomas  Cromwell,  whom  we  saw  with  Wolsey 
at  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  is  living  at  Greenwich.  His  daughter 
Margaret  is  married  to  Mr.  Poper,  and  lives  with  him.  He  is  called  upon 
to  appear  at  Lambeth  Palace  and  take  the  oath.  He  comes  up  the  Thames 
in  a  boat,  with  his  daughter's  husband,  and  appears  before  the  commission. 
He  is  willing  to  take  part  of  the  oath— to  support  Elizabeth  whenever  she 
may  come  to  the  throne  ;  but  he  will  not  swear  that  the  marriage  of  Hen- 
ry and  Katherine  was  illegal.     He  sets  up  his  private  judgment,  just  as 


THE   MAN   WHO   SPLIT   THE   CHURCU   IN   TWAIN. 


259 


Thomas  Bilncy  and  Thomas  Bayfold  set  up  tlieirs.  It  was  for  having-  a 
New  Testament  in  his  possession,  for  preaching  the  truth  as  he  under- 
stood it,  not  as  dictated  by  the  Po[)e,  that  Sir  Tliomas  sent  the  good  man 
to  his  death;  and  now  he  sets  up  his  own  judgment  against  the  law  of 
tlie  realm.  It  is  treason,  to  be  punished  with  death ;  and  lie  goes  to  the 
Bloody  Tower,  a  prisoner,  entering  by  the  Traitor's  Gate,  with  Bishop 
Fisher,  an  old  man  eighty  years  of  age,  who  also  will  not  take  the  oath. 
In  Westminster  Hall,  where  Anne  Boleyn  sat  down  to  the  grand  banquet, 
Sir  Thomas  has  his  trial.  He  will  not  swear,  and  is  found  guilty  of  high 
treason. 

At  the  Tower  stairs,  lie  bids  farewell  to  his  beloved  daughter  Mar- 
gai'ct,  who  has  affectionafely  waited  upon  him  in  prison. 

At  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  July,  1535,  Sir  Thomas 
and  the  sheriff  come  out  from  the  Tower.  A  great  company  has  assem- 
bled to  see  him  executed.     Some  of  the  people  do  not  like  him.     They 


THE    BLOODY    TOVVK) 


I'emember  how  he  has  sent  many  a  ]-»oor  man  to  the  stake,  and  there  is  no 
pity  in  some  of  the  faces  around  him;  but  there  are  others  who  ai'e  sorr}' 
to  see  him  suffer  for  conscience'  sake.  He  goes  with  a  Vu-ave  heart.  His 
life  has  been  sweet  and  pure.     The  scaffold  stairs  are  weak. 


200 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


"  See  me  safe  np,  Mr.  Sheriff.  As  for  the  coming  down,  I  can  take 
care  of  myself,"  he  savs,  with  a  smile  on  his  face. 

"  I  ask  your  prayers,  good  people.      I  die  in  the  faith  of  the  Holy 

Catholic  Church.  I  am  a  faithful 
servant  to  God  and  to  the  king." 
He  kneels,  and  repeats  a  Psalm. 
The  sheriff  kneels  to  him,  and 
asks  forgiveness  for  what  he  is 
about  to  do. 

"  Pluck  up  spirit,  man,  and  be 
not  afraid  to  do  thine  ofhce.  My 
neck  is  short.  Take  heed  how  you 
sti-ike." 

He  himself  ties  a  handkerchief 
over  his  eyes,  and  lays  aside  his 
white  beard. 

"  Pity  it  should  be  cut ;  it  never 
has  committed  treason." 

They  are  his  last  words.  He 
lays  his  head  upon  the  block,  and 
all  is  over. 

"  What  measure  ye  mete  it  shall 
be  measured  to  you  again." 

Many  times  those  lips,  motion- 
less now.  have  sentenced  men  and 
women  to  death  for  reading  the 
New  Testament — for  not  believing, 
that  the  bread  of  the  sacrament  is 
Christ's  body.  They  were  heretics,  and  died  for  conscience'  sake.  Sir 
Thomas  dies  for  conscience'  sake,  not  as  a  heretic,  but  as  a  rebel,  dis- 
obedient to  government. 

The  king  goes  on  burning  Catholics  who  will  not  recognize  him  as 
head  of  the  Church,  and  heretics  who  say  that  thei'e  is  no  purgatory.  But 
amidst  all  this  burning  and  hanging  a  great  revolution  is  going  on.  The 
people  have  lost  confidence  in  the  Church.  There  are  more  than  six  hun- 
dred monasteries  and  nunneries  in  England,  and  the  country  is  overrun  by 
a  set  of  lazy  monks  and  priests  and  nuns,  who  own  immense  estates.  The 
Pope  has  always  had  control  of  the  monasteries ;  but  now  he  has  no  au- 
thority in  England.  The  king  is  the  head  of  the  Church;  and  connnission- 
ers  are  appointed  to  visit  the  monasteries.     They  report  them  rich,  and 


SIR     THOMAS     MORK     AND     HIS     DAUGHTER     MAR- 
GARET   IN    THE    TOWER. 


THE   MAN   WHO   SPLIT   THE   CHURCH   IX  TWAIN. 


261 


that  the  monks,  friars,  and  abbots  lead  scandalous  lives.  Parliament  makes 
a  law  suppressing  them.  The  lands,  jewels,  and  estates  are  seized  ;  and 
the  men  and  women,  who  have  been  living  on  the  people  so  long,  are 
turned  adrift,  to  get  their  living  as  tliej  can.  The  king  fills  his  coffers, 
the  nobles,  dukes,  earls,  and  baronets  take  good  care  to  fill  their  own  pock- 
ets, with  the  spoils.  One  woman.  Widow  Cornwallis,  makes  a  pudding  for 
the  king,  which  is  so  good,  with  so  many  plums  in  it,  that  he,  in  return, 
makes  her  a  present  of  all  the  lands  of  an  abbey. 

Workmen  tear  down  the  monasteries  to  get  the  lead  and  iron ;  and  the 
stately  stone  edifices,  which  have  stood  so  long,  soon  are  heaps  of  ruins. 

Though  Stephen  Gardiner  and  Edmund  Bonner,  the  nobles,  the  king, 
are  spoiling  the  abbeys,  they  are  at  the  same  time  burning  heretics. 


rw 


SMITIIFIELD    IN    1546.        TIIK    HCRXING    OF    ANNE    ASKEW. 


Anne  Askew  is  arrested  for  not  believing  that  the  bread  of  the  sacra- 
ment is  the  fiesh  of  Christ.  She  is  brought  before  the  Lord  Mayor  of 
London. 

"  You  do  not  believe  that  tlie  bread  becomes  Christ's  body  ?" 

"  Ko,  your  honor." 

"  What  if  a  mouse  should  eat  the  bread  after  it  is  consecrated  ?"  the 
mayor  asks. 

"^Vliat  say  you  to  it,  my  lord  ?"  Anne  asks,  in  return. 

"  I  say  that  the  mouse  is  damned." 


262 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBEUTY. 


The  Lord  Mayor  sees  that  he  has  made  a  little  mistalve. 
Anne  is  put  upon  the  rack  in  the  Tower,  and  two  of  the  questioners 
throw  off  their  gowns,  and  work  the  winches  till  her  limbs  are  all  but 
torn  from  her  body.  They  carry  her  in  a  chair  to  the  place  of  burn- 
ing, at  the  Muck-heap  of  Smithfield,  and  bind  her  to  the  stake  with  a 
chain.  Two  others  are  to  suffer  with  her.  The  executioner  fastens  bags 
of  powder  to  their  bodies.  The  Lord  Mayor,  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  and 
the  Earl  of  Bedford  sit  upon  a  seat  by  St.  Bartholomew's  Church,  but, 
though  several  rods  away,  are  afraid  that  the  powder  will  hurt  them. 

Anne  Askew  has  a  counte- 
nance like  that  of  an  angel.  She 
smiles  upon  the  executioners. 

"  Here  is  a  pardon  if  you  will 
recant,"  says  the  sheriff. 

"  I  came  not  here  to  deny  my 
Lord." 

With  these  heroic  words  upon 
her  lips,  she  gives  her  life  for  lib- 
erty. 

But  notwithstanding  all  these 
burnings,  liberty  is  advancing. 
The  king  has  ordered  that  the 
Bible,  in  English,  shall  be  in  ev- 
ery church  in  England.  Desks 
have  been  put  up,  and  the  books 
chained  to  them.  All  day  long 
the  people  stand  there  hearing 
them  read,  and  ^  as  the  reading 
goes  on  they  think  for  themselves,  and  heretics  are  multiplying. 

The  woman  who  sits  by  the  bedside  of  the  king — Katherine  Parr — 
secretly  befriends  those  whom  Stephen  Gardiner  and  Edmund  Bonner 
liave  thrust  into  prison,  and  they  resolve  that  she  too  shall  suffer ;  but  she 
finds  out  what  is  going  on,  and  cares  for  Henry  very  tenderly.  Gardiner 
comes  with  his  accusation. 

"  Get  out,  you  knave !"  is  the  salutation  which  he  receives  when  he 
makes  his  business  known. 

Henry  knows  that  he  cannot  get  well.  Jane  Seymour's  son,  Edward, 
is  ten  years  old.  Who  shall  conduct  affairs  till  he  is  old  enough  to  wear 
the  crown?     There  are  two  great  parties  in  England  now — the  old  party 


ALL  DAY  LONG  THK  PKOPLE  READ  IT. 


THE   MAN   WHO   SPLIT  THE   CHURCH   IN  TWAIN. 


203 


and  the  new.  The  old  party  do  not  wish  to  have  the  Bible  in  the  churches, 
and  they  believe  that  tlie  Pope  is  their  head  of  the  Church,  The  new 
party  accept  the  king  as  head  of  the 
Church,  and  the  Bible,  and  not  the 
Pope,  as  authority  in  matters  of  re- 
ligion. Henry  selects  men  of  the 
new  party  to  direct  affairs.  Edward 
is  to  be  king,  and  after  him  Mary 
and  Elizabeth  are  to  be  heirs  to  the 
throne. 

On  the  28th  of  January,  1547, 
the  despot  who  through  life  has  been 
trampling  upon  the  rights  of  men, 
who  has  cut  off  the  heads  of  his  wives 
and  nobles,  who  has  plundered  the  peo- 
ple at  will  through  an  obsequious  and 
time-serving  Parliament,  yields  his  sceptre  to  one  mightier  than  himself. 
He  has  been  a  wicked  man,  a  tyrant;  yet,  through  his  wickedness  and 
tyranny,  liberty  shall  dawn  upon  the  oppressed  and  suffering  people  of 
upon  all  the  world. 


GOLD    MEDAL    OF    HENKY    VIII. 


264  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XYIIL 

THE  QUEEN  WHO  BURNED  HERETICS. 

ON  the  1st  of  October,  1553,  Mary  Tudor,  daughter  of  Henry  YIII. 
and  Katherme  of  Aragon,  is  crowned  Queen  of  England.  There  is 
a  grand  procession,  and  Mary  rides  in  a  gilded  coach  drawn  by  six  horses. 
She  is  thirty-seven  years  old,  small  in  stature,  thin  and  pale.  Her  eyes 
are  bright  and  sparkling,  but  she  has  a  voice  deep  and  resonant  like  a 
man's.  She  wears  a  blue-velvet  dress  trimmed  with  ermine,  and  a  richly 
embroidered  mantle  ornamented  with  pearls.  A  golden  fillet  encircles 
her  brow,  set  with  diamonds  and  precious  stones,  and  so  heavy  that  she 
has  to  support  her  head  with  her  liand. 

Mary  is  very  religious.  She  counts  her  beads,  and  repeats  her  Pater- 
nosters and  Ave-Marias  regularly,  and  never  fails  to  attend  mass. 

In  the  procession  is  her  half-sister  Elizabeth,  Anne  Boleyn's  daughter. 
She  is  twenty  years  old,  the  picture  of  health. 

There  have  been  stirring  times  in  England  since  midsummer.  Mary's 
half-brother  Edward,  Jane  Seymour's  son,  died  on  the  6th  of  July.  He 
had  been  king  six  years.  He  had  no  children  to  succeed  him.  Then 
came  the  question  as  to  who  was  entitled  to  the  crown.  Henry  made 
a  will,  and  declared  that  after  Edward,  Mary  was  to  have  it ;  and  after 
Mary,  Elizabeth ;  and  after  Elizcibeth,  the  descendants  of  his  sister  Mary 
— the  Mary  whom  he  compelled  to  marry  the  old  Louis  XII.  of  France, 
but  who,  as  soon  as  Louis  died,  married  Charles  Brandon. 

Mary  and  Charles  have  a  granddaughter — Jane  Grey — a  lovely  girl, 
seventeen  years  old,  and  just  married,  Edward  wished  the  crown  to  go 
to  her,  and  the  day  after  Edward  died,  the  council  proclaimed  Jane  Grey 
queen.  She  was  in  the  couutiy,  and  w^hen  word  came  to  her  that  Ed- 
ward was  dead,  and  that  she  was  to  be  queen,  she  burst  into  tears.  She 
did  not  desire  to  wear  the  crown,  and  to  be  burdened  with  all  the  cares 
and  responsibilities  of  State. 

Not  so  with  Mary.  She  wished  to  be  queen.  She  sent  word  to  the 
council  that  the  crown  belonged  to  her.     There  was  a  great  party  that 


THE   QUEEN  WHO   BURNED   HERETICS. 


265 


wished  her  to  be  queen,  and  she  was  proclaimed  in  August.  Her  party 
has  succeeded,  and  she  wears  the  crown.  There  is  eating  and  drinking 
and  great  rejoicing  by  all  good  Catholics,  for  Mary  is  a  devoted  friend  of 
the  Church.  Some  of  her  councillors  are  hard-hearted,  revengeful  men. 
Tliey  suffered  under  Henry,  were  obliged  to  keep  quiet  while  Edward  was 
king,  but  now  they  are  in  power,  and  will  make  their  power  felt. 

The  news  of  what  is  going  on  in  England  reaches  Charles  V.,  who  is  in 
the  Netherlands.  He  has  been  negotiating  a  marriage  for  his  son  Philip 
with  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  Portugal;  but  here  is  a  chance  to 
make  a  better  bargain.  He  will  bring  about  a  match  between  Philip  and 
the  woman  to  whom  he  himself  was  once  betrothed,  and  whom  he  agreed 
to  marry  when  she  was  twelve  years  of  age,  but  saw  tit  to  break  the  agree- 
ment.    Mary  is  thirty-seven,  and  Philip  twenty-seven. 

Charles  sends  Count  Egmont  to  England  to  make  a  proposal.  Mary 
accepts  the  offer,  but  many  of  the  English  people  do  not  like  the  match. 
"  No  foreigner  for  us  !"  they  shout,  and  Sir  Thomas  Wyatt  heads  a  party 
and  raises  an  insurrection ;  but  Mary's  troops  soon  suppress  it,  and  Wyatt 
and  many  of  the  men  who  joined  him  are  executed.  Jane  Grey's  hus- 
band is  one.  Jane  looks  out  of  her  prison  in  the  Tower,  and  sees  his  head- 
less body  in  a  cart.  The  executioner  then  comes  for  her.  She  walks  to 
the  scaffold  with  a  firm  step,  and  ascends  the  stairs  as  lightly  as  if  going 
to  her  chamber  to  a  night's  repose.  Tliere  are  no  tears  on  her  cheek, 
nor  is  there  any  trembling  of  her  eyelids.  She  reads  a  prayer,  and  then 
ties  a  handkerchief  over  her  eyes. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  she  asks  of 
the  executioner, 

"  Kneel  by  the  block." 

"Where  is  it?" 

She  feels  for  it,  lays  her  head 
upon  it,  to  receive  the  fatal  stroke. 

"  Lord,  into  thy  hands  I  commit 
my  spirit." 

The  axe  falls,  and  the  head  of  "^ 
the  brave  girl  drops  from  the  body. 
What  has  she  done  to  merit  such  a 
fate?  Nothing.  A  great  political  party  has  used  her  to  advance  its  own 
interests ;  that  is  all.  Perhaps  Mary  breathes  easier  when  she  hears  that 
her  cousin  is  dead,  and  perhaps  not,  for  on  this  same  "  Black  Monday," 
as  people  call  it,  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  men  are  hanged — some  in 
St.  Paul's  church-yard,  some  on  London  Bridge,  some  at  Charing  Cross, 


THE    BEHEADISG-BLOCK. 


26a 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


others  at  Westminster.     The  next  week  she  hangs  forty -eight  more;  and 
a  few  dajs  later,  twenty-two  common  men,  besides  several  officers. 

Now  comes  the  arrest 
of  her  sister  Elizabeth, 
who  is  in  the  countrj', 
sick.  She  is  brought  to 
London,  and  taken  to  the 
Tower  in  a  boat,  entering 
it  through  the  dark  and 
gloomy  Traitor's  Gate. 
Mary  is  determined  that 
Elizabeth's  head  shall 
roll  upon  the  pavement 
in  the  Tower  yard ;  but 
Bishop  Gardiner  and 
Bishop  Bonner,  and  oth- 
er men  among  Mary's 
councillors,  much  as  they 
wish  it,  see  that  it  will 
not  do  to  cut  off  the 
head  of  one  on  whom 
the  people  have  already  set  their  affections,  and  who  has  had  nothing 
whatever  to  do  with  the  insurrection. 

On  the  20th.  of  July,  1554,  a  fleet  of  Spanish  ships — one  hundred  and 
fifty  or  more  —  sails  into  the  harbor  of  Southampton.  Philip  of  Spain 
has  come  to  be  married,  with  a  great  train  of  Spanish  noblemen,  and 
six  thousand  troops.  The  English  noblemen  meet  him  at  Southampton. 
Philip  is  accompanied  by  a  gray-bearded  man,  sixty  years  of  age,  who 
has  done  a  deal  of  fighting  for  Charles  V. — the  Duke  of  Alva,  who  has 
a  hard  countenance  and  a  harder  heart.  His  eyes  have  a  cruel  look.  We 
shall  see  him  again. 

Mary  is  at  Winchester  impatiently  waiting  for  Philip.  lie  sets  out 
on  Monday  morning,  in  a  driving  rain-storm,  on  horseback,  and  splashes 
through  the  mud,  reaching  Winchester  at  sunset.  He  goes  at  once  to 
the  cathedral,  and  listens  to  a  Te  Deum.  In  the  evening  he  goes  to  the 
bishop's  palace,  where  Mary,  with  a  comj)any  of  ladies,  is  waiting.  She 
never  has  seen  her  future  husband.  He  enters  the  hall,  and  she  beholds 
a  small  man  with  spindle-legs,  small  body,  a  broad  forehead,  blue  eyes, 
large  mouth,  heavy  underlip,  and  protruding  jaw.  He  has  a  deep  sepul- 
chral voice ;  but  Mary  could  S'ng  the  bass  quite  as  well  as  he,  for  she  has 


TR\ITOKS    GiTb 


THE   QUEEN   WHO   BURNED    HERETICS. 


267 


a  tremendous  voice.  He  is  proud  and  haughty,  and  cares  nothing  for  men 
except  to  use  them ;  but  on  this  occasion  he  kisses  liis  wife  that  is  to  be, 
and  not  only  her,  but  all  her  ladies.  He  has  already  been  once  married 
— in  1544,  to  Maria  of  Portugal,  when  he  was  only  sixteen.  The  next 
year  a  son  was  boi-n  to  him.  One  day,  soon  after  the  birth  of  the  babe, 
there  was  a  grand  spectacle  in  front  of  the  royal  palace  at  Valladolid — 
the  burning  of  a  lot  of  heretics  by  the  men  w4io  ask  cpiestions — and  Maria's 
nurses  left  her  alone,  that  they  might  see  the  men  and  women  roasted  to 


death;  and  while  they  were  gone  Maria  helped  herself  to  so  much  water- 
melon that  she  sickened  and  died  the  next  day. 

The  marriage  between  Mary  and  Philip  is  consummated,  and  the  wed- 
ded pair  enter  London  beneath  triumphal  arches  and  amidst  the  blazing 
of  bonfires,  the  roaring  of  cannon,  and  ringing  of  bells. 

Mary  is  firmly  seated  on  her  throne.  She  is  married  to  the  son,  of 
the  mightiest  monarch  in  the  world.     She  has  put  out  of  the  way  her 


268 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


political  enemies ;  and  now  she  will  begin  witli  heretics.  Her  father 
Henry,  through  his  guilty  passion  for  Anne  Boleyn,  severed  England  from 
the  Church  ;  she  will  bring  it  back  again.  Men  shall  no  longer  think  for 
themselves,  but  shall  be  in  subjection  to  the  Pope.     There  shall  be  no 


more  reading  of  the  Bible.  The  thousands  of  married  ministers  shall  be 
turned  out  of  their  pulpits.  Heresy  shall  be  crushed  out.  In  1547,  all 
acts  punishing  heretics  were  repealed ;  but  now  Parliament  restores  them. 
On  St,  Andrew's  Day,  Nov.  30, 1554,  a  high  mass  is  sung  in  Westmin- 
ster Abbey.  Philip,  the  Duke  of  Alva,  and  another  great  don  from  Spain 
(Ruy  Gomez),  with  six  hundred  Spanish  grandees,  the  Knights  of  the  Gar- 
ter, the  English  nobles,  the  archbishop  and  bishops  whom  Mary  has  ap- 
pointed in  place  of  those  appointed  by  Henry  and  Edward,  whom  she  has 
turned  out,  are  there,  dressed  in  gorgeous  apparel.  After  mass,  they  have 
dinner ;  and  then  there  is  another  gathering  in  Westminster  Hall.  On  a 
platform,  in  three  golden  chairs,  are  seated  Mary,  Philip,  and  Cardinal 


THE  QUEEN  WHO  BURNED  HERETICS. 


269 


Pole,  the  Pope's  ambassador.  Above  tliein  is  a  canopy  of  gold.  The 
bishop  sits  near  by.  Tiie  Hall  is  the  place  where  the  Commons  meet,  and 
the  membei'S  are  in  their  places. 

Stephen  Gardiner,  Lord  Chancellor,  in  his  big  wig,  bows  to  Mary  and 
Philip,  kneels,  and  presents  a  petition  to  the  Pope's  legate,  requesting  his 
forgiveness  for  all  that  has 
been  done  against  his  au- 
thority in  the  past,  and 
praying  that  the  nation  may 
l>e  taken  back  again  into 
the  bosom  of  the  Church. 

Cardinal  Pole  rises  to 
really  for  the  Pope.  Mary 
and  Philip  and  all  the  rest 
fall  on  their  knees,  and  re- 
ceive the  absolution  which 
the  Pope  gives  through  the 
cardinal. 

"Amen  !     Amen  !" 

The  voices  of  the  as- 
sembled multitude  echo 
amidst  the  oaken  rafters. 
The  organ  peals;  the  choir 
sing  a  Te  Deuni.  Tears 
of  joy  roll  down  the  cheeks 
of  the  queen.  Her  heart's 
desires  are  gratified.  The 
nation  is  once  more  in  the 
fold  of  the  Church.  She 
has  been  the  one  to  lead 
it  back.  Some  persons  in 
the  assembl}',  in  their  ec- 
stasy and  joy,  throw  them- 
selves into  the  arms  of 
their  friends. 

"  We  are  reconciled  to 
G od .  Blessed  day  for  Eng- 
land," they  say. 

Cardinal  Pole,  sitting  in  his  chamber  at  nn'dnight,  writes  to  the  Pope  : 
"What  great  things  may  the  Church,  our  mother,  the   bride  of  Christ, 


A    GK.VNUIOE. 


270 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


^/r 


fancy  for  herself  !     O  piety  !    O  ancient  faith  !    tliis  is  the  seed  the  I-ord 

hath  blessed  !" 

The  letter  reaches  Rome,  and  the  Pope  enibi'aces  the  messenger,  falls 

on  his  knees,  says  a  Pater -noster,  gives  orders  to  ring  all  the  bells  in 

Rome,  to  fire  the  cannon  of  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  light  bonfires,  to 

give  indulgences  and  pardons  to  all  who  want  them. 

The  Pope  has  given  his  absolution,  and  the  nation  is  once  more  back 

in  his  fold.     But  how  about  those  monasteries  and  abbeys  which  Henry 

tore  down  ?     How  about  the  lands  and  estates  that  were  seized  and  di- . 

vided  between  the  crown  and  the  great  men,  and  given  to  women  who 

made  good  puddings?     They  must  be  given  up.     The  Pope  demands  it. 

The  Members  of  Parlia- 
ment have  been  willing 
to  fall  on  their  knees  and 
receive  absolution,  but, 
having  obtained  it,  con- 
clude to  hold  on  to  their 
spoils.  They  are  willing 
that  heresy  shall  be  root- 
ed out,  but  they  will  not 
let  the  Pope  have  author- 
ity in  England.  The 
queen  shall  still  be  head 
of  the  Church.  They 
are  good  Catholics,  but 
they  will  not  change 
Henry's  will,  and  after 
Mary  the  crown  shall  go 

to  Elizabeth.     Philip  wants  to  be  crowned.     Charles  urges  it,  the  Pope 

desires  it;  but  there  are  some  sturdy  Englishmen  who  say,  "No  foreigner 

for  us,"  and  Philip  is  obliged  to  smother  his  resentment. 

The  Commons,  the  Lords,  the  gi'eat  men  have  submitted  to  the  Pope 

in  behalf  of  the  nation,  and  now  the  people  themselves  must  submit. 

"  If  any  one  before  Easter,  1555,  does  not  acknowledge  the  authoritj^ 

of  the  Pope,  he  shall  suffer  for  it,"  is  the  edict. 

"  Come  and  register  your  names,"  is  the  command  given  by  the  priests; 

and  registers  are  provided  in  every  parish. 

Tliere    shall  be   no  more   reading  the  Bible,  nor   Pj-ayer- books;  no 

more  liberty  of  conscience;  no  more  thinking  for  themselves. 

Stephen  Gardiner  opens  his  heresy  court  in  St.  Mary's  Church,  South- 


ST     M\R^     0\PK\,    lOUTH-WARK 


THE   QUEEN  WHO   BURNED   HERETICS.  271 

wark.  Goodwin,  Bonner,  Tunstal,  and  three  other  bishops  are  the  judges. 
The  court  is  the  Inquisition  under  another  name.  There  are  several  men 
for  wliose  blood  they  are  thirsting.  Mr.  John  Rogers  is  one.  He  is  a 
preacher — a  learned  man ;  and  when  Tvndal  and  Coverdale  were  over  in 
Antwerp  translating  the  Bible  into  English,  he  went  over  and  aided  them, 
and  is  tlierefore  an  arch -heretic.  Besides,  he  went  to  Wittenberg,  and 
studied  with  that  monk  who,  when  a  boy,  sung  for  his  breakfast — Martin 
Luther.  He  married  a  German  wife,  and  has  ten  children.  The  Pope 
does  not  allow  priests  to  marry.  He  was  preaching  at  St.  Paul's  when 
Mary  came  to  the  throne  ;  he  could  liave  fled :  but  he  is  an  Englishman, 
and  has  done  nothing  contrary  to  his  conscience.  He  will  stay,  come  what 
will.  He  has  been  a  prisoner  for  many  months  in  Newgate,  with  Mr. 
Hooper,  of  Gloucester. 

Tlie  world  does  not  often  see  a  man  like  John  Hoo))er.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Oxford,  and  was  a  Bachelor  of  Arts  two  years  before  that  meet- 
ing on  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  and  became  a  monk ;  but  after 
reading  the  Bible  he  left  the  monastery.  When  Henry  was  king,  he  had 
an  interview  -with  Stephen  Gardiner,  who  was  astonished  at  his  learning. 
He  had  to  flee  to  France,  however ;  but  when  Edward  came  to  the  throne, 
he  returned,  and  Edward  made  him  Bishop  of  Gloucester.  When  every- 
body else  was  getting  rich  on  the  spoils  of  the  monasteries,  Bishop  Hooper 
was  making  himself  poor  by  feeding  the  hungry.  He  sat  down  with  them 
at  the  table  to  let  them  know  that  he  loved  them.  But  he  is  a  heretic ;  be- 
sides, he  is  married.  For  a  long  while  Gardiner  has  had  liim  in  prison — 
confined  in  a  room  with  robbers  and  murdereis,  with  nothing  but  straw  to 
lie  upon,  and  an  old  counterpane  for  a  covering.  He  and  Mr.  Rogers  are 
brought  before  the  court,  and  condemned  to  be  burned. 

"  Shall  I  not  be  allowed  to  bid  farewell  to  my  \vife  and  children  i" 
Rogers  asks. 

"  No,"  is  the  savage  rei)ly  of  Gardiner. 

It  is  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  February  4th.  The  frost  is  on  the 
window-panes.  In  the  cold  and  gloomy  prison  Rogers  is  quietly  sleeping. 
The  jailer's  wife  taps  him  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Bishop  Bonner  is  waiting  for  you." 

He  rises  and  goes  out  into  the  hall,  where  Bonner  is  Avaiting  to  de- 
grade him  from  his  office  as  a  priest.  That  done,  Rogers  bids  farewell  to 
Hooper,  and  the  sheriff  leads  him  out.  It  is  still  dark ;  but  the  people 
have  heard  that  he  is  to  be  bui-ued,  and  a  crowd  has  assembled  to  see 
him  die. 

"  He  will  flinch,"  say  his  enemies. 


272 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


His  wife  and  children  are  waiting  for  him,  and  though  Gardiner  has 
said  that  he  shall  not  see  them,  he  kisses  them,  and  goes  on  with  a  firm 
step  to  the  stake.  Tlie  executioner  binds  the  chain  around  him  and  heaps 
the  fagots.  In  the  dim  gray  of  the  winter  morning  the  people  see  him 
standing  there,  looking  up  into  heaven,  with  a  smile  upon  his  face. 

"  You  can  have  the  queen's  pardon  if  you  will  recant,"  says  Sir  Robert 
Rochester,  who  has  come  to  report  his  behavior  to  Gardiner.  But  he  has 
nothing  to  recant. 

The  fire  curls  around  him.     He  bathes  his  hands  in  the  flames  as  if  it 


STREET    IN    LONDON    IN    TUK    TIME    OF    MARY. 


were  cold  water.  Tliey  who  look  to  see  him  beg  for  mercy  hear  nothing 
but  prayer  and  praise,  while  those  who  expected  he  would  stand  firm  rend 
the  air  with  their  shouts  of  joy. 

Ah,  Mary  !  out  fi'om  those  applauding  ci-ies  shall  come  liberty  to  the 


THE   QUEEN   WHO   BURNED    HERETICS. 


273 


^^] 


BEARING    FAGOTS. 


Imman  race  !  Go  on,  Gardiner,  Bonner,  and  Tmistal,  witli  yonr  court  of 
heresy;  send  men  and  women  to  the  stake — for  the  biief  period  of  your 
power;  but  every  fire  which  you  thus  kindle 
shall  be  a  beacon  to  light  the  human  ]-ace  in 
its  march  to  freedom  ! 

"  Hooper  is  an  obstinate,  false,  detestable 
lieretic ;  let  him  be  burned  in  the  city  which 
he  has  infected  with  his  pernicious  doctrines," 
is  the  order  for  the  burning  of  the  aged  bishop. 

Mr.  Gardiner  has  nuide  a  mistake.  If  he 
wants  to  put  a  stop  to  heresy,  he  had  better 
not  send  Bishop  Hooper  to  the  city  where 
everybody  loves  him  as  children  love  a  father, 
where  he  has  fed  the  hungry  and  clothed  the 
poor.  Surrounded  by  guards,  he  rides  out  of 
London  on  horseback.  He  is  old,  feeble,  and 
wasted  almost  to  a  skeleton  with  his  long  im- 
prisonment and  with  sleeping  on  his  bed  of  straw.  He  eats  dinner  at  a 
tavern  where  a  w^oman  rails  at  heretics  ;  but  he  is  so  tender,  so  childlike 
and  forgiving  that  she  too  becomes  a  child  before  him,  and  with  tears  begs 
his  forgiveness,  and  does  what  she  can  for  him.  Love  is  more  potent  than 
tire  to  subdue  the  human  heart.  A  great  crowd  awaits  his  coming.  For 
a  mile  outside  of  Gloucester  gates  the  road  is  filled  with  people.  It  is 
evening,  and  the  sheriff  will  give  him  one  more  Tn'ght  on  earth  ;  and  the 
])eople  go  to  their  homes,  wondering  if  their  good  old  bishop  will  stand 
tirm  at  the  final,  hour. 

Sir  Antliony  Kingston,  who  has  often  heard  the  bishop  preach,  is  sent 
by  Gardiner  to  see  hiui  burned.  In  the  morning  Sir  Anthony  enters  the 
prison. 

"  Do  you  know  me  V  Sir  Anthony  asks. 

"  Oh  yes,  Sir  Anthony;  and  I  am  glad  to  see  you  in  such  good  health. 
I  have  come  here  to  lay  down  ray  life  for  the  truth." 

"Would  you  not  like  to  live  ?" 

"  I  can  live ;  but  I  never  should  enjoy  life  at  the  expense  of  my  future 
welfare.  You  would  not  have  me  blaspheme  my  Saviour  by  denying 
him,  would  you  ?  I  trust  that  I  shall  bear  with  fortitude  all  the  torments 
which  my  enemies  may  be  able  to  inflict." 

Sir  Anthony  is  not  a  hard-hearted  man,  and  the  tears  stream  from  his 
eyes. 

"  I  shall  be  sorry  to  see  you  die." 

18 


274  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

"  It  is  my  duty  to  stand  for  the  truth." 

A  little  blind  boy  who  has  heard  the  bishop  preach  comes  to  bid  him 
farewell,  and  he  falls  on  his  knees  at  the  bishop's  feet. 

"  I  am  blind,  but  you  have  opened  the  eyes  of  my  soul.  May  the  good 
Lord  be  with  you,  and  bring  you  into  heaven  !" 

The  good  old  man  lays  his  withered  hand  upon  the  head  of  the  boy 
and  blesses  him.     A'bigoted  man  comes  in  to  revile  him. 

"  You  are  a  wicked  heretic." 

The  man  who  has  fed  the  hungry  and  clothed  the  naked  makes  no 
reply.  The  mayor,  who  has  sat  under  the  bishop's  preaching,  comes  with 
the  sheriff  to  conduct  him  to  the  stake.  Gladly  would  the  mayor  give 
Iiim  his  liberty,  but  then  he,  quite  likely,  would  be  roasted  alive,  if  he 
were  to  do  so  humane  an  act. 

"I  could  have  had  my  life,  but  I  would  not  take  it  here  to  lose  it  in 
the  next  world.  Please,  Mr.  Sheriff,  make  the  fire  a  hot  one,  so  that  it 
may  be  quickly  over." 

It  is  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  winter  air  is  chill,  but  all  of 
Gloucester,  and  the  people  from  the  surrounding  country,  have  gathered 
to  see  their  dear  old  friend  lay  down  his  life.  He  is  weak  and  feeble 
from  long  imprisonment.  He  has  ridden  all  the  way  from  London  on 
horseback,  and  he  walks  with  a  feeble  step,  supporting  himself  with  a 
cane ;  but  how  brave  of  heart !  He  looks  round  upon  the  multitude  with 
a  smile  on  his  face.  He  would  like  to  speak  to  his  old  friends,  but  the 
sheriff  will  not  let  him.  Stephen  Gardiner  and  Bishop  Bonner  will  have 
no  farewell  address  to  stir  the  hearts  of  heretics ;  but  those  lips,  so  elo- 
quent once,  were  never  so  eloquent  as  by  their  silence  now. 

The  bishop,  when  he  arrives  at  the  stake,  throws  his  arms  around  it 
as  if  it  were  a  friend.     He  kneels  and  prays. 

The  sheriff  holds  a  paper  in  his  hand. 

"Here  is  a  pardon,  if  you  will  recant." 

"A  pardon  if  I  will  recant!     Take  it  away !" 

The  sheriff  strips  him  of  his  garments,  ties  bags  of  powder  under  his 
arms,  fastens  a  chain  around  his  neck,  another  around  his  waist,  a  third 
around  his  legs,  piles  the  fagots,  and  applies  the  torch. 

At  the  windows,  on  the  house-tops,  in  trees,  are  the  people.  In  a  room 
over  the  college  gates  are  some  priests  looking  down  to  see  the  heretic 
burned.  It  is  a  damp  and  windy  morning.  The  fagots  are  wet.  The 
smoke  smothers  the  martyr  —  the  fire  scorches  and  blisters  his  legs,  but 
does  not  touch  his  body,  for  the  wind  blows  the  flame  aside. 

"  More  fire  !" 


THE   QUEEN   WHO   BURNED   HERETICS. 


275 


v-i,A 


The  people  hear  the  bishop 
calling  from  the  j)illar  of  smoke. 
The  sheriff  heaps  on  more  fagots, 
and  the  withered  hands,  reach- 
ing out  from  the  fire,  drag's  them 
closer.  A  handful  of  flame  leaps 
lip  and  scorches  his  face.  The 
hands  wave  to  and  fro. 

"  For  God's  love,  good  peo- 
ple, give  me  more  fire !" 

The  minutes  go  by.  Ilis  legs 
are  burned  to  a  cinder. 

"  More  fire  !"  he  cries. 

Once  more  the  fagots  are 
piled,  the  flames  leap  up,  and 
the  powder  explodes. 

"  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit!" 

Those  M'ho  stand  nearest  hear 
the  words  —  the  last  that  fall 
upon  their  ears;  yet  still  his  lips 

are  moving.      Three-quarters  of  an  hour  have  passed  since  the  fagots 
were  lighted,  and  still  the  scorched  hands  are  beating  on  his  breast. 

It  is  over.  He  who  spread  the  table  for  the  pooi-,  whose  every  act  was 
for  the  good  of  man,  whose  life  was  pure  and  holy,  who  was  the  imperson- 
ation of  good-will  to  men,  is  nothing  but  a  cinder  now.  He  will  preach 
no  more  heresy.  So,  perhaps,  Stephen  Gardiner  and  Mary  and  the  priests, 
with  hate  in  their  hearts, may  think;  but  when  the  sun  goes  down  at  night 
there  are  more  heretics  in  Gloucester  than  in  the  morning. 

At  this  same  day  and  hour  there  is  a  similar  scene  in  the  town  of 


HADLEIGH    CIIUUCH. 


Hadleiirh,  not   far  from    London. 


SI.  BOTOLPH  S    CHURCH,  ALDGATB. 


Rev.  Eowland  Taylor,  the  minister 
who  has  preached  there,  has  been  in 
prison  a  year.  It  is  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning  when  he  is  brought  out 
from  his  cell.  The  good  man's  fam- 
ily are  on  the  watch,by  St.  Botolph's 
Church.  All  through  the  weary 
winter  night  they  have  stood  there. 
They  hear  the  tramp  of  feet  —  dis- 
cern a  body  of  men. 


276 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBLUTY. 


BRIDGE    AT    IIADLETGH. 


Then  be  kisses  thein. 
be  of  ffoocl  comfort. 


God  will  be  a  father  to 


"  Oh,  mother,  there 
the  J  are ;  there  is  fa- 
ther!" cries  the  daughter 
Elizabeth. 

"  Rowland,    are     yon 
there  ?''  the  wife  asks. 
"  I  am  here." 
The  sheriff  is  not  al- 
together a  brutal  man. 

"  Stop  a  moment,  and 
let  him  speak  to  his  wife !" 
is  his  command  to  his 
men. 

The  minister  takes  his 
little  Mary  in  his  arms,  presses  her  to  his  bosom,  feels  once  more  her  hands 
npon  his  neck.  He  puts  her  down,  and  kneels  with  his  family,  and  all 
repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
"  Farewell,  dear  Mnfe 
my  children." 

"  God  bless  thee,  Mary  dear,  and  make  thee  his  servant." 
"  God  bless  thee,  Elizabeth ;  stand  strong  in  Christ." 
Once  more  he  presses  them  to  his  heart,  feels  the  scalding  tears  drop 
upon  his  cheek  in  the  darkness. 

The  streets  of  the  old  town  of  ITadleigli  are  crowded  with  people,  who 
have  come  to  see  their  old  pastor  die.  They  cannot  see  his  face,  for  tlie 
sheriff  has  covered  it  with  a  hood,  with  two  holes  in  it,  so  that  he  can  see 
without  his  face  being  seen, 
children,  kneels  before  him. 
"  God  help  thee.  Doctor 
Taylor,  and  succor  thee,  as 
thou  hast  many  a  time  help- 
ed me." 

He  passes  the  almshouse. 
Many  times  has  he  been  into 
it  to  give  things  to  the  poor. 
The  people  are  looking  out 
of  the  window  to  see  their 
old  friend. 

"Is  the  blind  man  yet 
alive  ?"  Mr.  Ta^■lor  asks. 


At  a  foot-bridge  a  poor  man,  with  his  five 


ALMSHOUSES    AT    HAPLEIGU. 


THE   QUEEX   WHO    BURNED    HERETICS. 


277 


"  Yes." 

"And  the  poor  old  blind  woman?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Here  is  some  money  for  them  ;"  and  he  throws  a  glove,  in  which  are 
a  few  coins,  into  the  window. 

He  reaches  the  stake.  No  longer  will  he  wear  the  hood,  but  tears  it 
from  his  face,  and  the  people  see  once  mo-re  the  smiling  and  genial  face 
of  their  dear  old  pastor.  His  beard  is  white,  and  he  is  pale  from  long 
imprisonment.  He  would  speak  to  the  people,  but  one  of  the  sheriff's 
men  rudely  thrusts  a  staff  into  his  mouth. 

They  pile  the  wood  around  him,  and  a  brutal  fellow  hurls  a  stick  into 
his  face.     The  blood  trickles  down  his  cheeks. 

"Oh,  friend,  what  need  of  that?"  Mr.  Taylor  mildly  asks. 

He  is  placed  in  a  barrel  smeared  with  pitch.     The  Hanies  whirl  above 
his  head,  and  then  a  soldier  knocks 
out  his  brains. 

No  more  heresy,  no  more  private 
opinions  in  Hadleigh. 

William  Hunter,  nineteen  years 
old,  is  learning  to  weave  silk  with 
Thomas  Taylor  in  London.  He 
does  not  go  to  mass,  as  Mary  has 
commanded  everybody  to  do  on 
Easter-morning,  and  the  priest  threat- 
ens to  have  him  up  before  the  bishop. 

"You  had  better  go  home  for  a  little  season,"  says 
that  if  AVilliam  is  out  of  the  way  for  a  little  wdiile  the  priest  will  foi'get 
all  about  it;  and  the  boy  goes  home  to  Brentwood.  He  strolls  into  the 
church,  and  sees  the  Bible  chained  to  the  desk.  Since  Mary  has  come  to 
the  throne,  only  the  priests  are  allowed  to  read  it ;  but  William  dares  to 
open  it. 

"  Beading  the  Bible  !     AVhat  right  have  you  to  read  it  ?" 

It  is  the  shout  of  the  beadle,  who  opens  and  shuts  the  doors. 

"  I  read  it  because  I  like  to." 

The  beadle  runs  for  the  priest,  who  comes  in  hot  haste. 

"  Sirrah  !  who  gave  you  leave  to  read  the  Bible  ?" 

"  I  found  it  here,  and  I  have  read  it  because  I  wish  to." 

"  You  have  no  business  with  it." 

"  I  intend  to  read  it  as  long  as  I  live." 

"  You  are  a  heretic." 


THE    MARTYRS     STONE. 


his  master,  hoping 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


"  No,  I  am  not." 

The  priest  cannot  permit  any  reading   of   the  Book   in   his  parish, 
and  hastens  to  Esquire  Brown,  wlio  sends  for  WilHam's  father. 

"  Your  son  is  a  heretic, 
I  hear.  Bring  him  to  me 
at  once,  or  I  will  put  you 
into  jaih" 

"  Would  yon  have  me  seek 
my  son  to  have  him  burn- 
ed T 

"Go  and  bring  him." 
The  constable  soon  lias 
liold  of  William,  who,  to  give 
him  a  taste  of  what  is  before 
him,  puts  him  in  the  stocks, 
where  he  remains  twenty-four 
liours,  and  then  brings  him  to 
Esquire  Brown. 

"  Is  the  bread  turned  to 
flesh  when  the  priest  blesses 
itf  asks  the  squire. 

"  I  do  not  think  it  is." 
"You  are  a  heretic.     Ke- 
cant,  and  I  will  let  you  go." 
"  If  you  will  let   me  go, 
and  leave  me  to  my  own  conscience,  I  will  keep  my  opinions  to  myself," 
"  Will  you  go  to  confession  ?" 
"  No,  sir." 

"  Put  him  in  the  stocks,  and  feed  him  on  bread  and  water." 
For  two  days  and  two  nights  he  sits  there,  with  a  crust  of  bread  and 
cup  of  water  by  his  side ;  but  the  brave  boy  will  not  touch  them.     The 
bishop  comes  to  make  him  say  that  he  will  go  to  confession  and  mass ; 
but  William  refuses  to  accept  liberty  on  those  terms. 
"If  you  will  recant,  I  will  help  you  on  in  life." 

"Thank  you,  bishop;  but  I  cannot,  in  my  conscience,  turn  from  what 
I  believe  to  be  truth." 

"  You  must  go  to  prison  and  be  burned,  if  you  do  not  recant." 
"  I  cannot  help  it." 

On  the  27th  of  March,  1555,  the  boy  goes  to  his  death.     His  bi-other 
Bobert  walks  by  his  side  to  comfort  him. 


OLD    CHAPEL    AT    BRENTWOOD. 


THE   QUEEN   WHO   BURNED   HERETICS. 


270 


"God  be  with  thee,  mj  son !"  says  his  father,  bidding  him  farewell 

"  We  shall  meet  again,  father."     lie  kneels  upon  the  fagots  and  prajs. 

"Here  is  the  queen's  pardon  if  jou  will  recant,"  says  the  sheriff. 

"  I  cannot  accept  life  on  those  terms." 

"Put  the  chains  around  him." 

■'As  you  are  about  to  burn  here,  so  slialt  thou  burn  in  hell,"  says  a 
bigoted  priest.     The  fagots  kindle. 

"  Good-bye,  William  ;  be  of  good  cheer." 

"Good-bye,  Robert.  I  fear  neither  torture  nor  death.  Lord  Jesus, 
receive  my  spirit."     So  he  lays  down  his  life  for  liberty. 


Kp^ 


.|SKPn 


THE    OLD    BOCARDO    PRISON,   OXFORD. 


Bisliops  Latimer  and  Ridley  are  very  obnoxious  to  Mary.  On  the  16th 
of  October,  1555,  they  are  burned  at  Oxford. 

Archbishop  Cranmer  loves  life.  In  a  moment  of  weakness  he  signs 
a  paper  condemning  the  Reformation ;  but  he  repents  of  the  act,  and  is 
burned,  March  21st,  1556.  When  the  fire  rises  around  him,  he  holds  his 
right  hand  in  the  flames  till  it  is  burned  to  a  crisp. 

"  This  unworthy  hand  !"  he  exclaims,  and  then  commits  his  soul  to 
Jesus. 


280  THE   STOKY   OF   LIBERTY. 

The  Sheriff  of  Oxford  makes  out  his  bill  to  the  queen  : 

TO  BURN  LATIMER  AND  RIDLEY.                         £  s  d 

For  3  loads  of  wood  fagots 0  12  0 

1  load  of  furze  fagots 0  3  5 

For  the  carriage  of  these  4  loads 0  2  6 

A  post 0  14 

2  chains 0  3  4 

2  staples 0  0  G 

4  laborers 0  2  8 

£15     9 

TO  BURN  CRANMER.                                       £  g  d. 

For  100  wood  fagots  for  the  tire 0  6  0 

For  100  and  ^  of  furze 0  3  4 

For  the  carriage  of  them 0  0  8 

For  2  laborers 0  2  8 

£0  12  8 

Latimer,  and  Ridley,  and  Cranmer  were  heretics.     But  Mary  had  an- 
other reason  for  burning  them  :  they  Jiad  given  an  opinion  in  the  question 


OLD    MARSHALSEA. 


of  her  mother's  divorce.     Henry  demanded  their  opinion,  and  for  giving 
it  they  must  be  put  to  death. 

For  three  years  the  fires  blaze.  It  is  not  that  Mary  has  any  personal 
hatred  toward  the  men  and  women  whom  she  causes  to  be  executed.  But 
they  will  not  acknowledge  that  the  Pope  is  the  head  of  the  Church ;  they 
do  not  believe  that  the  bread  is  changed  into  the  body  of  Christ  \vhen  the 
priest  blesses  it.  They  think  for  themselves;  and  that  is  not  to  be  toler- 
ated. It  is  heresy,  to  be  exterminated.  Mary  thinks  of  herself  as  being 
responsible  for  the  eternal  welfare  of  the  people.  The  Church  of  Rome 
demands  the  rooting-out  of  the  heretics,  and  she  must  obey,  or  lose  her 


T[1E   QUEEN   WHO   BURNED   HERETICS. 


281 


own  soul.     Tlioiisands  are  cast  into  prison ;  and  the  poor  men  and  women 
suffer  terrible  hardships,  lying  on  the  cold  stones  of  the  Old  Marshalsea 


^-J-<iH^, 


BURNING   THE    HAND. 

Prison,  in  London,  or  in  the  Bocardo,  at  Oxford,  Families  are  broken 
up.  Orphans  beg  their  bread  from  door  to  door,  or  else  starve  in  the 
streets.  By  way  of  warning,  some  heretics  are  burned  on  the  hand  and 
liberated.  Women  are  compelled  to  do  penance  in  public,  standing  all 
day  with  a  lighted  torch  in  their  hands,  exposed  to  the  insults  of  a  motley 
rabble.     No  one  may  succor  them — no  one  take  pity.      They  suffer  for 


conscience'  sake.      It  is  the  protest  of  heroic  souls  in  behalf  of  liberty. 
They  will  suffer  every  indignity,  and  give  their  bodies  to  be  burned,  rather 


282  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

than  yield  their  convictions  of  right  and  duty.     Through  such  sacrifice 
freedom  comes  to  tlie  human  race. 

Does  such  harshness  exterminate  heresy  ?     On  the  contrary,  the  harsh- 
er the  treatment  of  heretics,  the  more  they  multiply.     Those  who  witness 


! 


THE  MARTYR  S  MEMORIAL,  OXFORD. 

their  heroism  in  death  begin  to  tliink  that  there  must  be  something  in 
their  cause  which  should  command  respect.  The  people  are  weary  with 
the  burnings.  They  begin  to  murmur.  When  the  priests  ascend  the  pul- 
pit at  St.  Paul's  Cross  to  preach,  the  mob  hoots  them  down. 

Philip  is  tired  of  England.  He  intended  to  be  king;  but  Parliament 
will  not  let  him  be  crowned.  Tie  is  only  a  figure-head — a  man  of  straw, 
with  no  voice  in  public  affairs.  He  is  tired  of  Mary ;  she  is  almost  old 
enough  to  be  his  mother — pale,  weak,  sickly,  querulous  —  always  repeat- 
ing her  prayers.'  He  is  gross  in  all  his  tastes.  He  loves  bacon-fat,  and 
can  eat  a  dish  of  it  at  a  meal.  He  cannot  gratify  all  his  tastes  in  Eng- 
land ;  he  will  cross  the  Channel  to  Brussels,  and  visit  his  father.  He  bids 
Mary  farewell,  promising  with  his  lips  soon  to  return,  but  intending  never 
to  set  foot  in  England  again. unless  he  can  be  king.  We  shall  see  him  at 
Brussels. 


HOW   LIBERTY   BEGAN   IN   FRANCE. 


283 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


now   LIBERTY   BEGAN   IN   FRANCE. 

THIRTY  years  liave  passed  since  Doctor  Luther  nailed  liis  paper  upon 
the  door  of  the  Wittenberg  church.  During  this  time  men  have 
been  thinking  for  themselves  in  France  as  well  as  in  Germany.  In  the 
old  town  of  Meanx  men  lirst  began  to  be  independent  in  thought.  It  was 
a  wicked  place,  and  the 
priests  were  no  better  than 
the  people — drinking  wine 
and  leading  dissolute  lives. 
One  day  a  man  came 
to  Meanx  brino-inc;  a  Bible 
which  a  priest — James  Le- 
fevre  — had  translated  into 
the  Fi-ench  language.  He 
told  the  people  that  they 
must  repent  of  their  wrong- 
doing and  live  righteously, 
and  preached  so  faithfully 
that  in  a  short  time  the 
place  became  one  of  the 
most  orderly  in  all  France. 
Instead  of  swearing,  the 
peasants  sung  psalms.  In- 
stead of  carousing  after  the 
work  of  the  day  was  over, 
they  held  prayer- meetings. 
Son)e  of  the  peasants  be- 
came preachers,  and  went  into  other  towns,  and  so  the  new  religion  be- 
gan to  spread.  One  of  those  who  accepted  the  new  faith  was  Bernard 
Palissy,  a  poor  potter.  He  could  set  glass,  draw  portraits,  and  used  to 
paint  images  of  the  Virgin.     He  travelled  from  village  to  village,  getting 


BERNARD    PALISSY. 


284 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


HEATINU    TUli 


a  scanty  living.  He  went  down  into  the  sontli-west  corner  of  France,  to 
Saintes.  One  day  he  saw  an  enamelled  teacup,  of  Italian  manufacture. 
Nobody  in  France  could  make  such  a  cup.  How  was  the  glazing  put  on  ? 
It  must  be  by  heat.  What  was  it  composed  of  ?  He  would  find  out.  He 
built  a  furnace,  made  experiments,  but  the  glazing  would  not  melt.     He 


now   LIBERTY   BEGAN   IN  t^RANCE. 


285 


sat  six  nights  in  succession  watcliing  the  furnace,  but  the  enamel  would 
not  fuse.  He  was  in  despair.  The  fuel  was  giving  out.  lie  must  have 
more  heat.  What  should  he  do  ?  He  had  no  time  to  go  after  more 
wood ;  besides,  he  had  no  money  to  pay  for  it.  He  seized  the  chairs, 
broke  them  up,  and  hurled  theui  into  the  furnace.  Still  the  glazing  did 
not  melt.  Then  he  split  up  the  table.  His  wife  and  children  looked  on 
in  amazement.  Was  he  crazy?  "More  wood!  More  wood!"  That  is 
his  only  answer.  Victory  !  He  has  discovered  the  secret.  The  glazing 
melts,  and  from  this  time  on  there  will  be  a  new  era  in  the  maimfacture 
of  earthen-ware. 

The  potter  turns  preacher.  Others  imitate  him.  Churches  are  gath- 
ered. It  is  a  crime  to  read  the  Bible.  But  the  printing-presses  are  at 
work ;  and  peddlers  are  carrying  the  book  in  their  packs,  selling  copies 
here  and  there,  which  the  people  read  secretly  ;  and  so  the  new  religion 
gets  a  foothold  all  over  the  kingdom. 

Those  who  accept  the  new  faith  no  longer  spend  their  time  in  carous- 
ing, but  sing  psalms  instead.  Those  who  laugh  at  them  for  being  so  re- 
ligious call  them  Iluguons — people  who  sing  in  the  streets.  They  soon 
are  known  as  Huguenots. 

The  priests  cannot  tolerate  the  heretics.  One  day  a  company  of  sol- 
diers, led  by  priests,  enter  the  town  where  the  potter  is  at  work.  The 
soldiers  are  bluod-thirstv  wi-etches. 


^:^^i^ 


A 


■WINE   AND   GARLIC   WILL   MAKE   HIM   STKONG. 


286 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


"  Where  are  the  heretics  ?     Let  iis  cut  tlieir  tliroats  !"  they  shout. 
They  seize  the  unresisting  inhabitants,  cut  out  their  toiTgiies,  gash  their 

faces,  or  cleave  their  lieads 
open.  Some  are  thrust  into 
prison,  fourteen  burned  to 
death,  others  luaiuied  for 
hfe. 

From  Meaux  the  soldiers 
and  priests  go  on  to  the 
town  of  Merindol.  The  sol- 
diers are  let  loose  upon  it. 
They  plunge  their  spears 
into  the  breasts  of  the  de- 
fenceless, unresisting  peo- 
ple;  hurl  men  and  women 
from  the  walls  upon  the 
rocks  below ;  seize  all  the 
goods ;  tear  down  the  houses, 
and  leave  it  a  scene  of  in- 
describable desolation.  Have 
the  people  revolted  ?  No. 
Have  they  committed  any 
crime  ?  No,  Are  they  not 
law-abiding  and  peaceful  ? 
Yes,  They  have  only  stayed  away  from  mass,  have  been  reading  the  Bi- 
ble, and  worshipping  God  in  their  own  way.  That  is  all. 
"All  printing  must  be  stopped!" 

And  now  to  go  back  a  little.  We  have  previously  seen  that,  after 
Ferdinand  of  Spain  had  driven  the  Moors  out  of  that  country,  he  made 
war  upon  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  and  seized  the  southern  half  of  her 
kingdom,  because  she  was  weak,  he  powerful,  and  because  he  wanted  it. 
In  his  estimation,  might  made  it  right. 

The  Queen  of  Navarre  had  a  son,  Henry,  who  was  only  seven  years  old 
at  the  time,  and  who  all  through  life  tried  to  recover  what  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella  had  stolen  from  him,  but  failed.  His  life  was  one  long  disap- 
pointment, lie  had  a  beautiful  daughter,  Jeanne  d'Albret,  who  was  mar- 
ried to  Anthony  of  Bourbon,  brother  of  Antoinette,  who  married  the  Duke 
of  Guise,  whom  we  saw  at  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold  witli  Francis  I., 
King  of  Fi'ance.  There  came  a  day  when  the  gray-haired  man,  whose  life 
had  been  so  bitter,  held  a  babe  in  his  arms — a  grandson. 


JEANNK    DALBRET. 


now   LIBERTY   BEGAN   IN  FRANCE. 


287 


"All!  this  is  the  boy  who  will  redress  ray  wrongs!  To  make  hiin 
strong,  I  will  give  him  a  little  good  old  wine  and  garlic,"  f.ays  the  delight- 
ed grandfather;  and  he  pours  wine  into  the  babe's  mouth,  and  rubs  its  lips 
with  gai-lic. 

Eight  years  pass,  and  Jeanne  d'Albret  and  her  boy  Henry  go  to  Paris 
to  attend  a  wedding.  The  grandson  of  Francis  I.  is  to  be  married — a  boy 
sixteen  years  old,  named  for  his  grandfather,  Francis.  His  mother  is  the 
baby  who  was  born  in  Florence  about  the  time  the  kings  and  nobles  met 
at  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold. 
She  is  the  niece  of  Leo  X.,  and  her 
name  is  Catherine  de'  Medici.  She 
is  Queen  of  France.  Her  confessor 
in  childhood  was  one  of  the  men 
who  obey  orders  —  a  Jesuit  priest; 
and  she  believes,  with  them,  that  if 
a  thing  is  good  in  itself,  it  is  right 
to  use  any  means  to  attain  it.  Cath- 
erine has  four  children — Francis  (the 
oldest),  Charles,  Henry,  and  Mar- 
guerite, a  wilful  girl,  seven  years 
old.  Who  is  the  bride  ?  A  beautiful 
girl  fi-om  Scotland,  Mary  by  name. 
Her  mother  is  sister  of  the  Duke  of 
Guise,  whom  we  saw  at  the  Field  of 
the  Cloth  of  Gold  ;  and  her  grand- 
mother was  Margaret,  sister  of  Hen- 
ry Vin,,  Avho  spent  a  night  in  the 
old  manor-house  at  Scrooby,  when 
she  w^as  on  her  wedding- journey. 
She  has  been  several  years  in  France. 
She  can  write  Latin,  French,  and 
English,  and  speak  the  languages  fluently.  She  can  sing,  is  quite  a  poet, 
and  is  very  beautiful.  Among  the  guests  from  Scotland  is  a  learned  man, 
George  Buchanan,  who  composes  a  nuptial  poem  : 


CATHERINE    DE     MEDICI    IN    COURT    DRESS. 


'  To  the  brave  youth  a  royal  kindred  lent, 
True  to  thy  tender  cause,  a  glad  consent, 
That  dearly  made  a  sister  queen  a  wife. 
The  gentle  partner  of  thy  throne  and  life  ; 
While  beauty,  birth,  and  virtue,  nobly  fair. 
And  plighted  faitii  and  mutual  love,  were  there." 


288 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


The  King  of  France,  Henry,  is  greatly  pleased  with  the  strong,  brave 
boy  from  the  Pyrenees. 

"  Will  yon  be  my  son  ?"  the  king  asks. 

"  No,  sir.     There  is  my  father,  Anthony  of  Bourbon,"  the  boy  replies, 

"  Ha  !   ha  !  you  are  a  brave  boy  !     Will  you  be  my  son-in-law,  then  f 

"  Oh  yes,  sir." 

Perhaps  the  boy  has  already  taken  a  fancy  to  little  Marguerite ;  but, 
be  that  as  it  may,  the  answer  so  pleases  the  king  that  Hem-y  of  Navarre 
and  Marguerite  are  betrothed  on  the  spot. 

The  wedding  takes  place,  and  there  is  gi-eat  rejoicing.     The  King  of 


HENRY  AND  MONTGOMERY  AT  THE  TOURNAMENT. 

France  holds  a  tournament,  and  himself  enters  the  lists  against  the  Duke 
of  Montgomery,  from  Scotland  ;  but  the  Scotchman's  lance  breaks,  a  splin- 
ter pierces  tlie  king's  eye,  who  reels  from  his  horse  and  tumbles  to  the 
ground.  Nevermore  will  Henry  II.,  King  of  France,  lead  his  soldiers  to 
battle.  Death  comes ;  and  Francis  11.  and  Mary  of  Scotland  are  king 
and  queen. 

Francis  is  a  spendthrift.  He  borrows  money,  lays  it  out  in  rich  dresses 
for  himself  and  Mary,  and  lavishes  it  npon  his  favorites.  The  people  come 
for  their  pay,  and  the  king  laughs  in  their  face.     They  grow  importunate. 

''  Pay  us  !"  they  say. 


HOW   LIBERTY   BEGAN   IN   FRANCE. 


291 


"  Help  yourself,  if  you  can." 

"  You  have  our  money.     Pay  us  !" 

"  Take  yourself  t>ff,  or  the  king  will  have  you  hanged,"  says  the  Car- 
dinal of  Lorraine,  who  sets  the  carpenters  to  woi'k  building  a  gibbet  in 
front  of  the  Palace  of  Fontainebleau. 

The  cheated  creditors  hear  the  sound  of  the  axe  and  hammei-,  and 
turn  sadly  away.  Liberty  for  the  king,  but  none  for  the  people.  In 
their  anger,  some  who  were  Catholics  turn  Huguenots  ;  and  so  the  Hu- 
guenots become  a  political  party. 


TAINEULKAU. 


The  priests  erect  statues  of  the  Virgin  Mary  along  the  streets,  and 
watch  to  see  who  bows  down  and  worships,  and  M'ho  passes  by.  The 
passers-by  have  a  black  mark  set  against  their  names.  War  breaks  out. 
The  Duke  of  Guise,  who  commands  Francis's  troops,  is  hard-hearted. 
He  strings  Huguenot  captives  on  pales,  and  throws  them  into  the  river 
Seine.  Some  die  firmly,  without  a  quivering  of  the  lip  or  trembling  of 
the  eyelids. 

"How  brazen-faced  and  mad  these  wretches  are!  Death  does  not 
abate  their  pride,"  says  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine. 


292  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

The  Huguenot  leaders  are  exasperated.  They  resolve  to  rid  the  coim- 
tiy  of  the  Guises,  and  seize  the  king,  who  is  in  the  castle  at  Blois.  But  a 
traitor  reveals  the  plot,  and  the  Guises  remove  Francis  to  the  Chateau  of 
Amhoise,  on  the  banks  of  the  Loire,  and  seize  the  Huguenots.  What  a 
spectacle  is  that  which  Catherine  de'  Medici,  Francis,  and  Mary,  and  Cath- 
erine's two  younger  sons,  Henry  and  Charles,  witness  as  they  stand  on  the 
balcony  of  Aniboise  !  In  the  yard  before  them  are  gibbets,  with  corpses 
dangling  beneath  them ;  stakes  are  driven  into  the  ground,  and  Huguenots 
are  roastin.g  in  the  flames;  soldiers  are  hacking  unarmed  men  to  pieces, 
and  pitching  the  dead  bodies  into  the  river,  till  it  is  choked  with  corpses. 
Twelve  thousand  Huguenots  are  put  to  death, 

Francis  has  been  king  fifteen  months.  There  comes  a  day  when  there 
is  a  commotion  in  the  royal  palace.  Francis  has  an  abscess  above  his  ear, 
aud  he  has  fainted.  The  doctors  come,  but  their  skill  is  of  no  avail. 
By  the  bedside  of  the  dead  king  stands  Mary  of  Scotland.  The  brief 
days  of  happiness  are  ended ;  henceforth  her  life  will  be  full  of  trouble 
and  sorrow. 

Charles  IX.  is  king — a  boy  ten  years  old.  Mary  must  return  to  Scot- 
land. With  tearful  eyes  she  bids  farewell  to  France  —  to  its  joys  and 
pleasures,  its  sunny  skies  and  blooming  fields.  She  has  been  tenderly 
cared  for — servants  in  livery  to  wait  upon  her,  to  carry  her  sedan.  She 
sails  to  Scotland  from  Calais.  She  sits  upon  the  deck  of  the  vessel,  gaz- 
ing sadly,  till  the  land  is  lost  to  view,  and  then  writes  an 

"ADIEU  TO  FRANCE. 
"  Eaiewell  to  tliee,  thoii  pleasant  sliore ! 
The  loved,  tlie  cherished  home  to  me, 
Of  infant  joy — a  dream  that's  o'er  ; 

Farewell!    dear  France,  farewell  to  thee! 

"  The  sail  that  wafts  me  bears  away 
From  thee  bnt  half  my  soul  alone; 
Its  fellow-half  will  fondly  stay, 
And  back  to  thee  has  faithful  flown. 

"  I  trust  it  to  thy  gentle  care ; 

For  all  that  here  remains  to  me 

Lives  but  to  think  of  all  tliat's  there. 

To  love  and  to  remember  thee!" 

While  Mary  is  thus  sailing  to  her  distant  home,  where  we  shall  see  her 
by-and-by,  the  boy  who  was  fed  on  wine  and  garlic  is  quietlj'  pursuing  his 
studies  in  Paris,  preparing  himself  for  the  duties  of  life,  little  knowing  the 
part  which  he  is  to  play  in  the  great  drama  of  history. 


THE   MAN    WHO  TILLED   THE   WUliLL)   WITH    WOE. 


293 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE   MAN   WHO   FILLED   THE   WORLD  WITH   WOE. 

"VTEVER  before  was  there  an  assembly  in  Brussels  like  that  which 
-^^  gathers  in  the  great  audience-cliamber  of  the  king's  palace  on  Oc- 
tober 25th,  1555.  Princes,  nobles,  dukes,  lords,  ladies^  archbishops,  and 
a  crowd  of  church  prelates  are  there.     The  clock  strikes  three,  and  those 


CHAKLES    V. 


for  wlioni  they  are  waiting  enter  the  hall.  Who  are  they  ?  There  comes 
a  broad  -  shouldered  man,  with  an  ugly  face,  shaggy  beard,  white  hair, 
crooked  nose,  and  large  underlip.  He  has  lost  all  his  teeth,  except  a  few- 
stubs.    Once  he  was  straight  as  an  arrow ;  but  now  he  walks  with  a  crutch. 


i21)-J:  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

and  lias  to  lean  upon  another's  arm.  He  looks  to  be  seventy,  yet  is  only 
tifty-five.  It  is  Charles,  Emperor  of  Germany,  King  of  Spain,  K^aples,  and 
the  Netherlands — the  man  before  whom  Doctor  Lnther  made  his  plea  for 
liberty  at  Worms.  For  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  Charles  has  been 
at  war — his  armies  marching  through  Spain,  Germany,  France,  and  Italy. 
He  has  an  empire  in  the  New  World  larger  than  all  his  domains  in  Eu- 
rope, foi",  since  he  came  to  the  throne,  Hernando  Cortez  has  overtnnied 
the  throne  of  Montezuma.  They  liave  discovered  the  Pacific  Ocean,  have 
found  mountains  of  silver  and  gold  in  Peru.  They  have  been  in  the 
Floridas,  and  marched  under  De  Soto  to  the  Mississippi.  His  empire  is 
greater  tlian  that  ruled  by  Csesar.  Although  he  is  so  great  a  potentate, 
the  gout  has  got  hold  of  him.  He  is  an  enormous  eater.  At  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning  he  eats  a  chicken  fricasseed  in  sweetened  milk ;  then  he 
lias  a  long  nap.  At  twelve  o'clock  he  has  a  superb  dinner  of  twenty 
dishes,  and  drinks  a  bottle  of  wine.  At  four  o'clock  he  eats  his  first 
supper,  a  heartier  meal  than  his  dinner,  with  pastry  and  sweetmeats,  and 
drinks  goblets  of  beer.  At  midnight  he  eats  his  second  suppei-,  and 
drinks  more  beer.  He  is  always  hungry,  j^et  everything  tastes  alike;  for, 
abusing  his  stomach,  he  has  lost  the  sense  of  taste. 

The  man  upon  whose  arm  he  leans  is  only  twenty-two,  tall,  handsome, 
with  dark-brown  hair,  broad  forehead,  and  clearly  cut  features.  He  has 
brown  eyes,  and  wears  a  mustache  and  beard.  Although  he  is  so  young, 
he  has  been  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  which  has  been 
fighting  against  Admiral  Coligny,  general  of  the  Fi-ench  armies.  People 
call  him  William  the  Silent  and  Prince  of  Orange.  He  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam called  the  "  Rich."  He  came  to  Brussels,  when  he  was  only  eleven 
years  old,  to  be  educated.  Charles  V.  was  here,  and  took  a  liking  to  the 
boy,  making  him  a  page  at  court.  He  Avas  so  fond  of  AVilliam  that  he 
wanted  him  always  by  his  side.  He  revealed  to  him  all  the  secrets  of 
State.  There  are  but  few  men  in  the  throng  that  know  more  of  state-craft 
than  this  young  man.  He  is  quick  to  hear ;  he  understands  the  intrigues 
that  are  all  the  time  going  on  among  kings  and  princes,  to  build  up  and  to 
tear  down  ;  but  he  has  the  faculty  of  keeping  his  thoughts  to  himself,  or 
of  letting  them  be  known  at  the  right  time.  Let  us  keep  liim  in  remem- 
bi-ance,  for,  of  all  the  men  that  walk  the  earth,  few  will  do  more  for  lib- 
erty than  he. 

Behind  the  emperor  comes  Philip,  with  spindle-legs,  a  face  like  his 
father's  (large  mouth,  heavy  underjaw),  twenty -eight  years  old,  proud, 
gross,  eater  of  bacon-fat.  Little  regard  has  he  for  justice.  What  cares 
he  for  the  riMits  and  liberties  of  men  ?     Nothing. 


THE   MAN   WHO  FILLED   THE   WORLD   WITH   WOE.  295 

One  of  the  bishops  is  Anthony  Perrenot,  of  Arras,  who  can  speak  seven 
langnages.  He  lias  been  Charles's  chief  adviser.  He  detests  the  people, 
and  hates  heretics.  The  year  after  Charles  was  elected  emperor  he  per- 
suaded him  to  issue  an  edict  against  heretics.  These  were  some  of  the 
provisions : 

"  No  one  shall  print,  write,  copy,  keep,  conceal,  sell,  buy,  or  give  in 
the  churches,  streets,  or  other  places,  any  book  written  by  Martin  Luther 
or  any  other  heretic. 

"Any  person  who  teaches  or  reads  the  Bible,  any  person  who  says 
anything  against  the  Church  or  its  teachings,  shall  be  executed. 

"  Any  person  who  gives  food  or  shelter  to  a  heretic  shall  be  burned  to 
death.  Any  person  who  is  sus_pectedj  although  it  may  not  appear  that  he 
has  violated  the  command,  after  being  once  admom"shed,  shall  be  put  to 
death. 

"  If  any  one  has  knowledge  of  a  heretic,  and  does  not  make  it  known 
to  the  court,  he  shall  be  put  to  death. 

"An  informer  against  a  heretic  shall  recover  one-half  of  the  estates  of 
the  accused.  If  any  one  be  present  at  a  meeting  of  heretics,  and  shall 
inform  against  them,  lie  shall  have  full  pardon." 

The  Jesuits  establish  their  torture -chamber.  Thousands  are  put  to 
death.  The  prisons  are  filled  with  accused  heretics.  Other  thousands  flee 
the  country,  seeking  a  refuge  where  no  priest  shall  find  them,  or  where 
tiiey  may  be  free  from  persecution.  Tlieir  estates  are  confiscated,  the 
property  being  divided  between  the  men  who  ask  questions,  the  king,  and 
those  who  inform  against  the  heretics. 

Charles  has  wrenched  money  from  the  people  of  Holland  to  enable 
him  to  carry  on  his  wars  in  Germany  and  Italy.  lie  has  trampled  on 
their  ancient  rights  and  privileges,  making  himself  a  despot.  But  he  is 
weary  of  life,  and  is  about  to  resign  his  crown  to  Philip,  This  is  the  day 
selected  for  his  abdication.  Since  he  came  to  the  throne  he  has  burned, 
or  hanged,  or  otherwise  put  to  death,  more  than  one  hundred  thousand 
men  and  women  for  reading  the  Bible.  He  began  to  burn  them  in  1523. 
The  first  victims  were  two  monks,  who  were  burned  in  Brussels.  The 
priests  incited  the  people  to  hunt  the  heretics  out  of  the  land.  Not  a 
week  passed,  scarcely  a  day,  that  there  was  not  a  burning  of  heretics  ;  but 
though  so  many  were  disposed  of,  they  seemed  to  nniltiply  faster  than 
ever.     In  1535,  Charles  issued  another  edict.     Thus  it  ran  : 

"All  heretics  shall  be  put  to  death. 

"  If  a  man  who  has  been  a  hei-etlc  recants,  he  may  be  killed  by  the 
sword,  instead  of  bein2:  bui'ned  to  death. 


296 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


"  If  a  woman  who  has  been  a  heretic  repents,  she  may  be  buried  alive, 
instead  of  being  burned." 

For  twenty  years  this  has  been  the  law  of  the  land,  and  the  smoke  of 
the  burning  has  been  going  up  to  heaven  all  the  time. 

Through  all  these  years  the  emperor  has  been  plundering  the  Nether- 
landers,  wrenching  from  them  more  than  two  million  dollars  per  annum. 
Through  all  these  years  he  has  been  crushing  out  the  liberties  of  the  State 
and  trampling  upon  the  rights  of  the  people.     While  heretics  are  burning. 


BURNING    THE    MONKS. 


he  gives  thanks  to  God  for  permitting  him  to  carry  out  such  a  glorious 
work.  He  is  very  religious — will  not  eat  meat  on  Friday,  goes  regularly 
to  mass,  counts  his  beads,  says  his  prayers,  and  yet  looks  on  with  glee 
while  men  and  women  are  smouldering  in  the  flames. 

The  scene  is  over.  Philip  wears  the  crown,  and  Charles  sails  to  Spain. 
He  goes  to  Yalladolid ;  and  the  bishops  and  priests  of  the  Inquisition  get 
up  a  jubilee  in  his  honor — the  burning  of  forty  men,  women,  and  children, 
who  have  dared  to  think  for  themselves.  So  this  man — whoin  we  first 
saw  counselling  with  Henry  VIII.  and  Wolsey,  just  before  the  Field  of 
the  Clotli  of  Gold,  and  just  after  it;  before  whom  Martin  Luther  stood 


I 


THE   lAIAN   WHO   FILLED   THE   WORLD    Willi    WOE.  207 

at  Worms ;  whose  army  lias  sacked  tlie  city  of  Rome ;  who  took  Francis 
prisoner,  and  treated  him  inhumanly;  who  has  filled  the  Avorld  with  woe 
— retires  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  seclusion,  not  fasting  and 
praying,  but  eating  like  a  glutton,  reading  despatches,  counselling  Philip 
— requiring  liim  to  hang  and  burn  till  there  shall  not  be  a  heretic  re- 
maining in  all  his  dominions.  Even  in  his  retirement  he  tills  the  world 
with  woe. 


293  TUE   STORY   OF   LIBEKTY. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

PROGRESS   OF   LIBERTY   IN  ENGLAND. 

THE  Duke  of  Guise  has  captured  Calais,  which  England  has  held  for 
a  long  time,  and  the  loss  is  a  terrible  blow  to  Mary  Tudor.  "  When 
I  die,  Calais  will  be  found  written  on  my  heart,"  is  her  lament  over  its 
loss.  Her  life  has  been  tilled  with  disappointtnent.  It  is  just  forty  years 
since  she  went,  with  her  mother  Katherine,  to  the  Field  of  the  Cloth 
of  Gold.  She  has  seen  her  mother's  divorce  and  humiliation.  All  her 
dreams  of  happiness  which  she  had  fondly  indulged  in  regard  to  Philip 
have  faded ;  he  has  deserted  her,  and  is  over  in  Holland,  leading  a  dis- 
reputable life.  She  hoped  to  re-establish  the  authority  of  the  Pope  in 
England  ;  but  though  she  lias  burned  so  many  men,  though  the  prisons 
are  filled  with  heretics,  though  she  has  compelled  thousands  to  flee  the 
country,  the  Pope's  authority  is  ]]ot  re-established.  She  knows  that  she 
is  hated,  that  her  subjects  will  rejoice  at  the  news  of  her  death.  She  is 
weak,  sickly,  querulous,  prematurely  old.  Possibly  a  sweet,  sad  face, 
smeared  with  blood  —  the  countenance  of  a  lovely,  innocent  girl  —  ma}^ 
haunt  her  at  times,  when  she  thinks  of  the  beheading  of  Jane  Grey.  In 
her  dreams  maybe  she  sees  the  good  Bishop  of  Gloucester,  or  Latimer  and 
Pidley,  or  the  boy  of  Brentwood,  with  steadfast  faith  looking  into  heaven 
amidst  the  flames  which  she  has  kindled.  Unloved  and  unlovable,  her 
life  is  going  out  in  darkness.  On  November  17th,  1558,  she  ceases  to 
breathe.  This  is  the  epitaph  that  may  be  sculptured  upon  her  tomb  : 
'-''Died  of  disappointment^ 

''  God  save  Queen  Elizabeth  !  Long  and  happily  may  she  reign  !" 
The  Bishop  of  Ely  (lord  chancellor)  proclaims  it  in  Parliament.  Bells 
ring,  cannon  thunder,  bonfires  blaze,  tables  are  spread  in  the  sti-eets.  Te 
Deums  are  sung.  No  more  burning  of  heretics ;  no  more  Spanish  gran- 
dees stalking  through  the  streets  insulting  the  people ;  no  more  spying  and 
plotting  b}^  Jesuits  to  send  men  to  the  stake — but  liberty,  such  as  never 
before  has  been  enjoyed  ! 

Elizabeth  is  at  IlatHeld ;  but  she  comes  to  London,  attended  by  a  thou- 


PROGRESS   OF   LIBERTY   IN   ENGLAND. 


299 


sand  nobles,  knights,  and  gentlemen  and  ladies,  accompanied  by  bands  of 
music.  Companies  of  singers  greet  her  with  songs ;  the  people  fall  on 
their  knees,  pourjng  forth  their  prayers  and  praises.  So  the  dangliter  of 
Anne  Boleyn  rides  to  the  Tower,  entering  it,  not  now  by  the  Traitor's 
Gate,  bnt  in  regal  pomp,  sovereign  of  the  realm. 

On  the  12th  of  January,  1559,  slie  is  crowned  in  Westminster  Abbey. 
Never  before  has  there  been  so  goi'geons  a  pageant  in  London.  The 
river  swarms  with  boats  and  barges,  the  rowers  in  livery,  the  canopies 
of  cloth  of  silver  and  gold.  The  nobles  and  tlieir  ladies  appear  in  their 
richest  robes — coats  and  gowns  of  velvet  or  satin,  trinnned  with  gold  a)id 


THE    KIVER    AVON. 


silver  lace.  Cannon  thunder  once  more,  the  chnrch-bells  ring.  All  Lon- 
don is  astir.  Triumphal  arches  are  ei-ected,  with  allegorical  characters. 
One  represents  the  qneen  trampling  Ignorance  and  Superstition  beneath 
her  feet.  Another  represents  Time  leading  his  daughter  Truth  by  the 
hand,  carrying  a  Bible,  which  she  presents  to  the  qneen.  Elizabetli  re- 
ceives it  graciously,  kissing  it,  and  pressing  it  to  her  heart. 

"  I  thank  the  City  for  tlie  gift ;  I  prize  it  above  all  things,"  is  tlie 
queen's  reply. 

Elizabetli  is  twenty-five.  Slie  has  her  mother's  fair  complexion,  her 
father's  proud  and  independent  spirit.  Now  that  she  is  queen,  there  are 
plenty  of  men  -who  would  like  to  marry  her.  The  first  to  offer  liimself  is 
the  man  wlio  eats  bacon-fat,  Philip,  who  hurries  on  liis  suit  almost  before 


300 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


Mary  is  in  her  grave.     He  sends  an  ambassador  to  tlie  Pope  to  obtain  per- 
mission to  marry,  without  waiting  to  see  if  Elizabeth  will  say  yes  or  no  to 


:LXi^V  [r    IP  u  " 


ROOM    IN    AVIIICII    SHAKSPKAKB 


his  proposal.  She  does  not  consult  the  Pope,  but  sends  her  answer — No  ! 
The  King  of  Sweden  makes  proposal ;  so  does  the  Archduke  Charles  of 
Austria :  but  Elizabeth  will  not  resign  her  independence  to  them.  The 
Earl  of  Leicester  is  one  of  her  favorites,  and  the  court  gossips  are  sure 
that  he  is  to  be  the  favored  one.  The  Earl  of  Essex  is  another  favorite. 
But  Elizabeth  \vill  not  be  beholden  to  any  man  ;  she  will  rule  in  her  own 
royal  right. 

The  people  love  her,  for  any  one — the  poor  as  ^Yell  as  the  rich,  the  low 
as  well  as  the  high — may  approach  her  with  their  petitions.  If  she  makes 
a  promise,  she  never  fails  of  keeping  it.  She  has  a  wise  man  to  advise 
her,  Sir  William  Cecil,  who  conducts  the  affairs  of  State  with  great  abilit3^ 

The  bishops  will  not  accept  Elizabeth's  authority  as  head  of  the 
Church,  and  she  puts  them  in  prison,  and  appoints  others  in  their  place. 
There  are  no  more  burnings;  but  has  liberty  come  to  the  people?  Not 
yet.  The  queen,  by  the  uttering  of  a  word,  the  lifting  of  a  finger,  can 
imprison  men  and  women,  confiscate  their  estates,  or  send  them  into  exile, 
for  no  crime  but  that  of  incurring  her  displeasure. 

Mary  Grey,  Jane's  sister,  marries  Martin  Keys,  who  is  a  judge,  and 
a  good  man ;  but  Elizabeth  does  not  like  the  marriage,  and  both  are  put 
into  prison,  where  Mary  languishes  for  more  than  three  years. 

Notwithstanding  the  queen  exercises  such  arbitrary  power,  liberty  ad- 


3 

I 


'ROGHESS  OF   LIBERTY  IN   ENGLAND. 


301 


varices.  Men  can  think  and  speak  more  freely  than  ever  before.  Those 
wlio  beheve  in  the  Pope,  and  those  who  do  not  beheve  in  him  as  the  head 
of  tlie  Church,  if  they  are  not  violent  in  their  language,  may  speak  their 
minds. 

A  golden  age  for  literature  has  come.  A  boy  wlio  was  born  on  the 
banks  of  the  Avon,  down  which  the  dust  of  Wicklif  floated  to  the  sea,  the 
boy  who  went  to  school  in  the  old  town  of  Stratford,  and  sat  at  an  oaken 
desk — William  Sliakspeare  —  is  reading  his  plays  to  Elizabeth,  and  they 
are  being  acted  in  the  theatre  of  London.  A  people  far  enough  advanced 
to  read  such  poetry  cannot  long  be  slaves. 

As  Geoffrey  Chaucer  gave  a  great  uplift  to  freedom  by  his  '•  Canter- 
bury Tales,"  so  does  William  Shakspeare  by  his  dramas.  Men  behold  the 
spectacles  upon  the  stage,  and  see  the  weaknesses,  the  follies,  the  tyrannies 


SHAKSPKAUE    READING    ONE    OF    HIS    PLAYS    TO    ELIZABETH. 


of  kings,  as  never  before.  They  begin  to  understand  that  monarchs  are 
but  men,  that  the  Pope  is  but  a  chief  priest  in  the  Church,  that  all  men 
liave  certain  rights,  and  are  entitled  to  liberties  which  they  never  yet  have 
enjoyed.     We  shall  see  ere  long  what  will  come  from  their  thinking. 


302  THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

HOW   THE   POPE   PUT  DOWN  THE   HERETICS. 

DUKE  HENEY  OF  GUISE  is  Prime  Minister  of  France,  and  his 
bi'other,  the  cardinal,  is  his  chief  adviser.  Tliey  are  proud  and  arro- 
gant, and  hate  the  Ilnguenots.  They  believe  in  the  Pope,  and  are  ready  to 
do  his  bidding.     The  Ilnguenots  and  hei-etics  in  France  are  to  be  put  down. 

One  Sunday  the  duke,  with  his  followers,  is  in  the  country.  He  hears 
the  sweet  tones  of  a  bell  in  the  village  of  Vassy. 

"What  is  that  bell  tolling  for?"  he  asks. 

"  It  is  the  bell  of  the  Huguenots." 

"  Are  there  many  heretics  here  ?" 

'•  Yes,  and  they  are  rapidly  increasing." 

The  duke,  when  disturbed  in  spirit,  has  a  habit  of  biting  his  beai'd  ; 
and  now  he  champs  it  between  his  teeth  as  a  horse  his  bit. 

"Forward!"  It  is  a  word  of  command  to  his  followers,  who  draw 
their  swords  and  ride  into  town,  trampling  upon  the  people.  A  man  hurls 
ii  stone,  which  strikes  the  duke  in  the  face.  The  butchery  begins,  and 
when  it  is  over  there  are  forty- two  corpses  and  two  hundred  wounded 
men,  women,  and  children,  weltering  in  their  blood  !  What  have  the 
people  of  Vass}'-  done?  What  crime  have  they  committed?  Only  this 
— ^peaceably  met  to  worship  God  in  their  own  way. 

The  duke  returns  to  Paris,  but  the  fame  of  his  exploit  has  preceded 
him ;  and  the  archbishop,  carrying  the  host — the  bishops,  the  priests — all 
come  out  in  grand  procession,  meeting  him  at  the  city  gates,  and  escort- 
ing him  through  the  streets  as  one  who  has  done  a  glorious  deed.  What 
rights  have  the  Huguenots?  None.  France  is  in  uproar,  for  one-fourth 
of  the  people  are  Huguenots.  Their  leader  is  the  Prince  of  Conde.  His 
soul  is  on  fire.  He  thirsts  for  revenge.  He  has  a  talk  with  his  friend, 
Theodore  de  Beza,  an  old  minister. 

"  I  can  raise  fifty  thousand  men  to  avenge  this  insult,"  he  saj^s. 

"  That  may  be ;  but  the  true  Church  of  God  should  endure  blows,  and 
not  Q-'we  them." 


HOW   THE   POPE  PUT   DOWN   THE   HERETICS. 


303 


"  But  only  think  of  the  slaughter  !" 

"  God  will  avenge.  Remember  that  his  anvil  has  used  up  many  ham- 
mers. Wait !"  So  the  old  minister  seeks  to  restrain  the  vengeance  of 
the  prince. 

The  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  issues  a  command  for  the  extermination  of 
the  Huguenots.  In  a  little  town  the  Catholics  and  Huguenots  have  lived 
side  by  side  in  peace ;  but,  at  the  command  of  the  cardinal,  the  Catholics 
surround  the  Huguenot  church  one  Sunday,  seize  all  within,  take  them  to 
a  high  rock,  and  pitch  them 
from  its  top  into  the  river. 
The  Huguenots  in  Nimes, 
maddened  by  the  outrages, 
retaliate  by  kilHng  one 
hundred  and  ninety-two  of 
their  neiglibors.  It  is  the 
beginning  once  more  of 
civil  war.  Great  battles 
are  fought,  towns  destro}'- 
cd,  and  the  country  is  in 
terrible  turmoil.  No  one's 
life  is  safe.  Henry  of  Na- 
varre is  in  Paris,  attending 
to  his  studies.  His  mother 
is  a  Huguenot ;  but  she  is 
in  her  own  dominion,  in 
tlie  Pyrenees.  His  father 
— Anthony  Bourbon — is  a 
Catholic,  and  is  killed  in 
battle.  The  Huguenots 
look  to  Henry's  mother  as 
their  protector.  Everybody  sees  that  possibly  her  son  Henry  may  by-and- 
l)y  be  King  of  France.  Will  he  be  Huguenot  or  Catholic  ?  Catherine 
de'  Medici  means  that  he  shall  be  a  Catholic;  while  his  mother  hopes  tliat 
he  will  be  a  Huguenot.  She  comes  to  Paris.  Catherine  receives  her  with 
great  demonstrations  of  affection  ;  but  in  a  very  short  time  Jeanne  d'Al- 
bret  discovers  that,  wherever  she  goes,  officers  and  nobles  in  Catherine's 
interest  follow  her.  If  she  rides  in  the  park  of  Fontainebleau,  or  strolls 
along  the  walks,  there  are  men  always  following  her — she  is  a  prisoner. 
She  resolves  to  make  her  escape.  One  day  there  is  a  grand  chase,  and  her 
nobles  go  out  with  her.     Thev  chase  a  deer  throuirh  the  woods.     Suddenlv 


THE  CARDINAL  OF  LORRAINE. 


304 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


Jeanne  and  Henry  turn  their  horses,  and  a  few  noblemen  who  are  in  her 
secret  turn  with  her.  Tliey  ride  away,  mount  fresh  horses,  ride  all  day 
and  all  night,  and  so  escape  from  Paris. 

The  war  goes  on.  France  is  a  battle-field,  and  so  is  Europe.  There  is 
fighting  in  Holland,  in  Germany,  and  in  Italy.  Henry  is  in  the  great  bat- 
tle of  Jarnac,  fighting  for  the  Huguenots.  He  sees  his  leader,  the  Prince 
of  Conde,  fall,  and  the  Huguenot  army  defeated.  He  is  only  fourteen 
3'ears  of  age ;  but  the  Huguenot  nobles  choose  him  for  their  leader,  and 

he  takes  this  oatli :  "  1 
swear  to  defend  religion, 
and  to  persevere  in  the 
common  cause,  till  death 
or  victory  has  secured  for 
all  the  liberty  we  desire." 

Amidst  the  Alps  there 
is  a  beautiful  valley,  where 
for  many  years  have  lived 
the  Vaudois.  It  is  a  small 
territory  —  only  sixteen 
square  miles.  The  Yau- 
dois  are  brave  mountain- 
eers. They  have  always 
loved  freedom.  They  are 
peaceable,  gentle.  They 
have  always  thought  for 
themselves,  and  never  have 
acknowledged  the  author- 
ity of  the  Pope.  They 
have  been  many  times  per- 
secuted ;  now  they  shall  be 
exterminated.  No  longer  shall  they  be  permitted  to  read  the  Bible,  to 
sing  their  songs  in  peace,  or  pray  to  God,  and  not  to  the  priest. 

The  Pope,  Philip,  and  Catherine  de'  Medici  join  to  destroy  the  here- 
tics. An  army  enters  the  valley.  Jesuit  priests  accompany  it,  urging  the 
soldiers  to  exterminate  the  Yaudois — men,  women,  and  children ;  all  are 
to  be  put  to  death.  The  people  flee ;  the  soldiers  pursue  them.  The  old 
are  slaughtered  first.  Men  who  cannot  move  are  stabbed  in  their  beds  ; 
women  afilicted  with  palsy,  and  unable  to  lift  a  finger,  are  killed  in  cold 
blood.  The  soldiers  seize  whatever  pleases  them  in  the  houses,  and  then 
apply  the  torch.     Men  and  women  and  children  who  lag  behind  in  the 


DE     MEDICI. 


now  THE  POPE  PUT  DOWN  THE  HERETICS. 


30' 


fliglit  are  cut  down  without  inercy.  In  vain  their  cries.  The  Jesuits 
have  aroused  a  spirit  of  liate  in  the  sohliers,  and  their  cries  are  unheed- 
ed. Weary  with  wielding  the  sword,  the  soldiers  take  tlieir  unresisting 
prisoners  to  the  tops  of  high  cliffs,  and  pitch  them  upon  the  rocks  below. 
To  vary  the  work  of  destruction,  they  dig  graves,  and  bury  the  women 
alive.  When  weary  with  that,  they  fill  the  mouths  of  the  captives  with 
gunpowder,  and  blow  their  heads  from  their  bodies.  They  crop  off  their 
ears  and  nose,  cut  off  hands  and  feet,  and  leave  the  poor  creatui-es  to  die 
by  slow  degrees. 

Day  after  day  the  massacre  goes  on.      Day  after  day  a  great  pillar 
of  smoke  ascends  from  the  burnins;  of  the  homes  of  the  Vaudois.     The 


'B^-^g^^^ 


JEANNE  AND  HENRY  ESCAPING  FROM  PARIS. 


ground  is  dreiu;hed  with  blood.      Corpses  lie  in  the  fields,  by  the  road- 
side, at  the  foot  of  rocky  cliffs,  devoured  by  wolves,  eaten  by  the  eagles. 

Some  of  the  Vandois  have  escaped  to  the  higher  Alps,  and  the  soldiers 
follow ;  but  suddenl}'  they  are  confronted  by  the  brave  mountaineers,  who 
fire  upon  them  from  the  heights  above,  who  hurl  rocks  upon  them,  grind- 
ing them  to  the  eartli.  Other  soldiers  rush  up,  but  are  driven  back,  with 
great  slaughter.  Once  more  they  advance.  The  Vaudois,  concealed  be- 
hind the  rocks,  take  deadly  aim  ;  every  bullet  tells.  A  pitiless  storm  of 
leaden  rain  beats  in  their  faces.     Twelve  hundred  fall.     Tlie  Yaudois,  in- 


308 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


BDRYING    THE    UKUETICS    ALIVE. 


stead  of  surrendering,  leap,  like  the  chamois,  from  rock  to  rock,  secrete 
themselves  in  caves,  and,  when  the  soldiers  least  expect  it,  assail  them 
once  more.  Winter  comes,  and  they  are  not  subdued.  Count  Trinity, 
who  commands  the  army,  withdraws  his  troops.  In  tlie  spring  he  will 
finish  his  work. 

In  caves  or  in  rude  huts,  li\'ing  on  the  chamois  which  the  hunters  kill, 
eating  the  bark  of  trees,  the  Yaudois,  with  their  wives  and  children,  pass 
the  terrible  winter. 

In  the  spring  Count  Trinity  returns,  with  ten  thousand  men,  to  com- 
plete the  extermination.  Tlie  Vaudois  have  selected  a  spot  in  the  Valley 
of  Pra  del  Tor,  where  they  have  erected  a  barricade.  Thei'e  they  will 
lay  down  their  lives,  if  need  be,  for  libert3\  In  the  fastness  are  their 
wives  and  children  ;  for  them,  for  the  right  to  think  and  act  for  them- 
selves, tliey  will  make  a  last  stand.  The  drums  beat,  the  trumpets  sound. 
With  banners  and  crosses,  the  army  of  Count  Trinity  moves  up  the  se- 
cluded valley.  The  Italian  troops  are  in  advance  ;  behind  them  are  the 
Spaniards.  They  are  clad  in  armor — brave  men  ;  no  troops  may  stand 
against  them  in  the  open  field.     But  now  they  are  amidst  the  mountains, 


now   THE   POPE   FUT   DOWN   THE    HERETICS. 


)0d 


hunting  a  starving  people,  destitntc  of  everything,  ready  to  die  rather 
than  yield;  for  to  yield  is  to  die  at  the  stake.  There  arc  ten  thonsand 
against  a  few  hundred.  Quickly  will  the  veterans  of  Spain  and  Italy 
sweep  the  all  but  famished  rabble  away.  Up  over  the  rocks  march  the 
infantry  of  Savoy. 

Crack!  A  soldier  rolls  down  the  mountain- side,  shot  by  aji  unseen 
foe.     Abo\  e  them  hangs  a  liandful  of  smoke  ;  but  no  foe  is  in  siglit. 

Crack  !  crack  !  Other  soldiers  go  down,  and  others  still.  The  bat- 
talions fire,  but  their  bullets  flatten  against  the  rocks.     Faster  fall  tlic  sol- 


THE    VALLEY    OF    TRA    DEL   TOR. 


diers.  Only  now  and  then  can  tliey  see  a  Vandois.  It  is  bnt  a  glimpse; 
for  tliey  are  behind  the  crags,  loading,  and  firing  with  deliberate  aiui. 
Wlierever  the  soldiers  attempt  to  advance,  they  are  met  by  a  storm  of  bul- 


310  THE   STOKY   OF   LIBEETY. 

lets.  The  ground  is  strewed  with  dj'iiig  and  dead.  The  soldiers  hear  a 
chorus  of  voices  ringing  out  above  them.  It  is  the  Vaudois  chanting  a 
psalm.     God  is  their  helper,  and  to  him  give  thej  thanks. 

For  four  days  the  Pope's  troops  keep  up  the  assault.  While  the  men 
defend  the  barricade,  their  wives  supply  them  with  food.  Count  Trinity 
is  enraged.  He  will  charge  with  his  whole  army,  and  trample  the  Vau- 
dois beneath  his  feet.  Thus  far  the  Italians  have  been  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  attack  ;  but  now  he  orders  up  the  Spaniards.  The  Jesuit 
priests  bestow  their  blessings,  and  stand  with  uplifted  crosses,  to  urge  the 
soldiers  on. 

A  mass  of  men  ascend  the  rocky  path.  Those  in  front  go  down ;  but 
the  men  behind  sweep  over  the  fallen,  up  to  the  barricade.  Though  they 
have  reached  it,  they  cannot  mount  it.  Muskets  flame  in  their  faces. 
The  barricade  suddenly  swarms  with  men,  who  beat  them  back,  tumbling 
them  one  upon  another — the  dead  upon  the  living,  and  the  living  upon 
the  dead.  In  consternation  they  flee  down  the  mountain-side,  leaving  all 
behind  them.  Soldiers  and  officers  alike  are  panic-stricken.  The  Yau- 
dois,  leaping  from  the  barricade,  chase  them  down  the  valley,  flinging 
them  from  the  precipices  into  the  depths  below.  The  entire  army  is  put 
to  flight;  and  the  Vaudois  gather  up  the  rich  booty  left  behind.  But  who 
can  bring  back  the  slaughtered  dead — the  children  hacked  asunder,  those 
buried  alive,  those  blown  up  with  powder?  No  one.  Priestly  intolerance 
has  ground  them  into  the  dust ;  and  it  is  yet  a  long,  long  while  before 
men  can  be  allowed  to  think  for  themselves.     Will  libei'ty  never  dawn  ? 


THE   QUEEN   OF   THE   SCOTS. 


■311 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE   QUEEN  OF   THE   SCOTS. 

THE  girl  who  bade  adieu  to  France  with  many  tears  is  in  Holjrood 
Palace,  Edinburgh.  It  was  a  stormy  voyage  which  Mary  had  from 
Calais  to  Leith,  on  the  Firth  of  Forth.  In  France  she  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  grand  pageants ;  but  althougli  the  nobles  of  Scotland  come  with 
their  best  outfits  to  welcome 
her,  though  the  people  re- 
ceive her  w^ith  joy,  they  can 
make  but  a  sorry  display. 
As  she  enters  Edinburgh,  the 
only  music  that  greets  her 
ears  is  the  singing  of  a  psalm, 
and  the  scraping  of  three- 
stringed  fiddles,  and  the  play- 
ing of  bagpipes.  She  is  beau- 
tiful and  refined;  but  the  peo- 
ple whom  she  has  come  to 
rule  are  uncouth.  She  is  a 
Papist ;  they,  for  the  most 
part,  Presbyterians,  and  in- 
tolerant of  Papists.  Before 
Mary  lies  a  sea  of  troubles. 

Elizabeth  never  has  for- 
gotten that  Mary  claims  to 
be  the  i-ightfnl  heir  to  the 
throne  of  England  ;  nor  will 
Mary  renounce  her  claim. 
Elizabeth  wishes  her  to  marry  a  man  of  her  choosing,  Robert  Dudley  ;  but 
Mary  will  bestow  her  hand  upon  \vhom  she  pleases,  and  declines  the  mar- 
riage. She  loves  literature,  and,  besides  attending  to  the  cares  of  State, 
finds  time  to  study  Latin,  and  selects  for  her  instructor  George  Buchanan, 


MARY,  QUEEN    OF    SCOTS. 


312 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY, 


who  wrote  lier  nuptial  ode  when  she  married  Francis.     The  tutor  is  fifty 


old. 


id  his  has  been  a  varied  life. 


He  was  a  poor  bov,  but  an 
uncle  sent  him  to  Paris, 
where  he  was  educated.  He 
wrote  a  poem  exposing  the 
wickedness  of  the  monks. 
Cardinal  Beaton  thrust  him 
into  prison  for  the  offence, 
but  Buchanan  made  his  es- 
cape. In  Portugal,  the  Jes- 
uits arrested  him  again,  but 
lie  escaped  a  second  time. 
He  has  been  professor  in 
several  universities,  and  is  a 
great  scholar.  We  shall  see 
farther  along  what  he  wiW 
do  for  liberty. 

Mary's  cousin  comes  to 
see  her — Henry  Stuart  —  a 
tall,  beardless  young  man, 
who  can  play  the  guitar,  and 
sing  a  song.  He  can  dance 
gracefully.  He  is  Margaret's 
grandson — the  Margai-et  who 
spent  a  night  in  the  old  house  at  Scrooby.  Henry  Stuart's  father  is  the 
Earl  of  Lennox,  who  has  planned  a  marriage  between  his  son  and  Mary. 
The  son  is  Lord  Darnley.  They  are  privately  married  at  Holy  rood. 
"Te  Deu?7i  laudamus r^  It  is  done,  and  cannot  be  undone. 
A  little,  swarthy  Italian,  David  Rizzio,  Mary's  secretarj^  who,  it  is  said, 
is  a  Jesuit  priest,  shouts  it.  Why  is  he  so  jubilant?  Because  it  will  greatly 
strengthen,  he  thinks,  the  Pope's  party  in  Scotland.  Mary  does  not  know 
what  a  sad  mistake  she  has  made — that  her  husband  is  a  weak-brained, 
worthless  fellow.  He  claims  the  right  to  rule.  He  is  angered  with  Rizzio, 
who  has  great  influence  with  Mary.  He  concerts  with  a  ruflian — Lord 
Ruthven — to  put  Rizzio  out  of  the  way ;  and  one  evening  when  Rizzio  is 
in  Mary's  apartments,  Ruthven  and  his  fellow-conspirators  creep  softly  up 
a  winding  stairway",  and  murder  Rizzio  in  her  presence.  Darnley  tries 
to  persuade  Mary  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  murder.  She  partly 
believes  him. 

On  June  19th,  1566,  Mary  becomes   a  mother.      There   is  gi-eat  re- 


T.ORD  DARNLEY. 


THE   QUEEN   OF  THE   SCOTS. 


3i; 


joichig,  not  only  in  Scotland,  but  in  England,  over  the  event,  for  the  boy 
will  be  heir  to  both  thrones.  lie  is  christened  with  much  pomp  and 
ceremony.  His  mother  calls  him  James,  and  appoints  six  women  to  rock 
his  cradle. 

Lord  Darnley  is  so  debased  that  he  does  not  attend  the  christening, 
but  is  having  a  caronse  with  some  drunken  ruffians.  Mary  has  lost  all 
respect  for  him.  The  nobles  of  Scotland  are  rough,  unscrupulous  men. 
The  Earl  of  Bothwell,  to  whom  Mary  has  given  Dunbar  Castle,  plans  a 
wicked  scheme  to  obtain  a  divorce  from  his  young  and  beautiful  wife, 
kill  Darnley,  marry  Mary,  and  so  make  himself  ruler  of  Scotland.  Mary 
has  shown  him  many  favors,  and  her  letters  are  full  of  tender  regards. 
She  is  still  kind  to  Lord  Darnley.  He  has  forsaken  her,  but,  when  sick 
with  the  small-pox,  she  does  not  hesitate  to  visit  him.     She  remains  with 


HOLTUOOD    PAT-ACE. 


In'm  one  night  till  eleven  o'clock.  On  her  way  back  to  Holyrood  slie 
meets  a  man  carrying  a  bag  of  gnnpowder. 

"What. are  you  going  to  do  with  it?"  she  asks. 

The  man  makes  no  reply,  luit  runs  away.  At  midnight  there  is  an 
ex])losion  which  shakes  all  Edinburgh.     The  house  in  which  Darnley  was 


314  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

sick  is  a  heap  of  rnins,  and  lie  is  a  mangled  corpse  beneath  the  rubbish. 
It  is  soon  discovered  tliat  Bothwell  caused  the  powder  to  be  placed  in  the 
cellar,  and  hired  a  man  to  fire  it.  He  is  arrested  and  tried,  but,  being 
rich  and  powerful,  manages  to  escape  conviction. 

A  few  weeks  pass.  Mary  has  been  out  to  Stirling  Castle  to  see  her 
baby,  and  is  quietly  returning,  when  suddenly  she  meets  Bothwell  and  a 
party  of  horsemen,  who  compel  her  to  go  with  them  to  Dunbar  Castle. 
Slie  is  a  prisoner.  Tlie  earl  asks  her  to  marry  him.  She  yields  to  his 
solicitations,  and  they  are  privately  married.  Scotland  is  in  an  uproar. 
The  nobles  will  not  permit  Bothwell  to  be  at  the  head  of  Government. 
They  rise  against  him,  and  he  is  driven  from  the  country,  to  end  his  days 
as  a  pirate.  The  nobles  imprison  Mary  in  a  stone  castle  on  a  little  island 
in  Loch  Leven,  consigning  her  to  the  care  of  Lord  and  Lady  Douglas. 
And  who  are  they  ?  Everybody  in  Scotland  knows  that  Lady  Douglas, 
before  marrying  Lord  Douglas,  kept  company  with  Mary's  father,  and 
that  she  is  the  mother  of  Mai-y's  half-brother,  the  Earl  of  Murray.  Lady 
Douglas  claims  that  she  was  married  to  Mary's  father,  and  that  the  Earl 
of  Mm-ray,  and  not  Mary,  is  rightful  heir  to  the  throne ;  but  very  few  per- 
sons believe  that  she  was  ever  married  to  the  king. 

Mary's  best  friends  desert  her.  They  fear  that  she  knew  that  Both- 
well  intended  to  murder  Dandey,  and  connived  at  the  crime.  Her  in- 
structor, George  Buchanan,  writes  a  pamphlet,  in  which  he  sets  forth  her 
guilt.  Lie  also  writes  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  De  Jure  Eegni" — the  Eight 
to  Rule.  He  begins  by  asking  this  question,  "What  is  the  source  of  pow- 
er ?"     This  is  his  answer  : 

'-''The  vnll  of  the  2)eo2)le  is  the  only  legitimate  sottrce  of  j^ouier.''^ 
It  is  a  discovery  for  which  the  world  has  been  waiting.      Possibly 
some  other  man  may  have  thought  the  same  ;  but  George  Buchanan  puts 
his  thought  into  print.     There  is  not  a  king,  queen,  pope,  or  priest  who 
will  agree  with  him. 

"/«!  originates  from,  a  natural,  instinctive  perception  of  the  jrrinci- 
ple  that  7nen,  to  have  government,  must  have  a  governor  ;  and  the  same 
jyrinciple  gives  them  the  right  to  say  who  shall  govern  them.'''' 

Kings  say  that  they  are  appointed  by  God  to  rule  — their  right  is 
divine. 

''The  people  have  a  right  to  choose  their  rulers,  and,  if  they  prove 
to  he  had,  they  have  the  right  to  dep>ose  themP 

The  world  never  heard  such  a  doctrine  before.  People  in  England 
i-ead  Buchanan's  pamphlet,  and  begin  to  take  new  views  of  their  rela- 
tions to  their  rulers.     The  nobles  of  Scotland,  to  carry  out  the  teachings 


TUE   QUEEN   OF   THE   SCOTS.  315 

of  Buchanan,  resolve  to  compel  Mary  to  resign  the  crown  in  favor  of  her 
babe,  who  is  not  a  year  old.  Two  of  them  visit  Mary  at  Loch  Leven,  and 
inform  lier  that  she  must  lay  down  the  sceptre.  Of  all  the  sad  days  of 
her  life,  this  is  one  of  the  saddest.  She  protests — she  pleads  with  them, 
with  tears ;  but  they  are  inexorable.  We  are  not  to  think  of  the  nobles 
as  acting  in  behalf  of  the  people.  Many  years  must  pass  before  the 
people  will  have  a  voice  in  government.  But  if  she  resigns,  the  baby 
will  be  crowned  king,  and  the  nobles,  for  a  long  period  of  yeai's,  will  be 
in  power,  in  the  baby's  name.  She  is  a  prisoner,  and,  against  her  will, 
resigns. 

On  the  25tli  of  July,  1567,  Mary's  baby  is  crowned  King  James  VI. 
The  ceremony  is  performed  at  Stirling  Castle,  in  the  room  whei'e,  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  before,  Mary  herself  had  been  crowned.  And  now, 
through  the  aid  of  Lady  Douglas's  sons,  Mary  escapes  from  the  Castle  of 
Loch  Leven.  The  nobles  who  believe  in  the  Pope  spring  to  arms,  and 
war  begins.  On  a  hill  near  Dumbarton  the  two  armies  meet,  and  a  fierce 
battle  is  fought.  The  ground  is  covered  with  killed  and  wounded ;'  and 
when  it  is  ended,  Mary  sees  her  followers  scattered  to  the  winds.  She 
flees  southward.  Gladly  would  she  find  refuge  in  France,  but  there  is 
no  ship  to  bear  her  to  those  friendly  shores.  She  reaches  England,  sur- 
rendering herself  into  the  hands  of  Elizabeth,  trusting  that  she  will  treat 
her  kindly. 


316 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 


ST.    BARTHOLOMEW. 


CHARLES  IX.  of  France  is  a  weak-lieaded  boy,  and  his  motlier,  Cath- 
erine de'  Medici,  keeps  him  nnder  her  thumb.  She  is  a  wilj  woman. 
She  hates  the  Huguenots,  and  would  hke  to  see  the  last  one  in  Fi-ance 
executed  or  driven  from  the  kingdom.  She  has  a  plan  for  their  exter- 
mination ;  3'et  it  is  not  wholly  hers. 
The  Duke  of  Guise  and  the  Cardi- 
nal of  Lorraine  are  knowing  to  it, 
and  so  is  the  Pope ;  and  all  do  what 
they  can  to  put  it  in  execution. 
They  see  that  the  Huguenots  are 
too  powerful  to  be  crushed  out  in 
battle.  They  will  bring  about  a 
truce,  lull  the  Huguenots  into  secu- 
rity by  fair  speeches,  and  then  crush 
them  by  stratagem.  Catherine  re- 
members that  Henry  of  Navan-e — 
the  boy  who  di'ank  wine  and  garlic 
— and  her  daughter  Marguerite  are 
betrothed.  They  are  not  lovers. 
Very  few  princes  and  princesses 
marry  for  love.  Henry  is  willing 
to  accept  Marguerite,  because  it  will 
I^  heal,  lie  hopes,  the  nation's  troubles  ; 
but  Marguerite  is  a  proud- s])irited 
girl,  and  means  to  have  something 
to  say  about  her  own  marriage. 

Charles  informs  Marguei'ite  that 
she  shall  marry  Llenry  whether  she 
does  or  does  not  like  him.  Jeanne  and  Henry  come  to  the  Palace  of 
Blois,  and  Charles  and  his  mother  go  out  to  meet  them. 


MAKGUERITK    OF    LORRAINE. 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW. 


317 


"  I  give  Marguerite  not  only  to  Henry,  but  to  the  Iliigueuot  party," 
says  Charles. 

Little  do  Jeanne  and  Henry  know  wliat  is  behind  these  words. 

"  I  love  you,  my  dear  aunt,"  he  says  to  Henry's  mother. 

Charles  and  Catherine  take  their  leave. 

"  Do  I  play  my  part  well  ?"  Charles  asks  of  his  mother. 

"  Yes ;  but  it  will  be  of  no  use  to  begiu,  if  you  do  not  go  on,"  Cath- 
erine replies. 

What  sort  of  going-on  will  it  be?     Such  as  the  world  never  saw  be- 
fore, nor  since. 

Catherine  cannot  do  enough  for  Jeanne  and  Henry.  She  bestows  rich 
and  costly  presents  upon 
tlieni.  One  of  her  gifts 
to  the  mother  is  a  pair  of 
perfumed  gloves.  Jeanne 
wears  them,  but  in  a  short 
time  is  taken  sick.  The 
physicians  are  bafSed  by 
her  disease ;  their  medi- 
cines do  no  good.  She 
grows  rapidly  worse,  till 
death  ends  her  sufferings. 
The  physicians,  when  ask- 
ed the  cause  of  her  death, 
shake  their  heads,  or  M'liis- 
per  the  word  "Poison." 

The  mourning  for 
Jeanne  is  over,  and  the  mar- 
riage of  Henry  and  Mar- 
guerite is  to  be  celebrated. 
All  of  the  great  men  of 
tlie  realm  come  to  Paris  to 
attend  the  festivities  —  all 
the  Huguenot  nobles,  wearing  their  rich  dresses.  Admiral  Coligny,  an 
old  man,  wlio  has  led  the  Huguenot  armies  to  battle,  comes  to  aid  in  ce- 
menting the  peace. 

"  Don't  go  ;  you  will  be  assassinated,"  say  his  friends. 

"  I  confide  in  the  word  of  the  king." 

He  believes  that  Charles  will  not  see  him  harmed.      The  Duke  of 
Guise  and  all  the  Catholic  chiefs  are  in  Paris.      There  is  a  whispei-ing 


CHARLES    IX. 


318 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


between    Catherine   and    the    Catholic   leaders.      What   is   the   meaning 
of  it? 

"  We  will  not  ask  the  Iliignenots  to  go  into  the  Church  of  Notre 

Dame  to  attend  the  mar- 
riage ;  we  will  have  it  in 
the  street,  before  the  door," 
says  Charles ;  and  tlie  Plu- 
giienots  are  greatly  pleased 
at  his  efforts  for  concilia- 
tion. 

A   canopy   and  a   plat- 
form  are   erected  in  front 
of  the  church.      All  Paris 
is  there,  every  house-top  is 
covered  with  people,  every 
window  occupied.     The  la- 
dies of  the  conrt  are  richly 
robed.    Drums  beat ;  trump- 
ets sound ;  the  bells  till  the 
air  with  tlieir  clanging;  can- 
non thunder,  and  the  royal 
procession    passes    throng]  i 
the  streets  to  Notre  Dame. 
The  bride  and  bridegroom 
stand  before  the  archbishop. 
"  Will  you  take  Henry  to  be  your  husband  ?" 
Marguerite  makes  no  reply. 
"  Will  you  take  flenry  to  be  your  husband  ?" 
Slie  does  not  answer,  but  pouts  her  lips  and  tosses  her  head. 
"  Will  you  take  Henry  to  be  your  husband  ?" 

Never  by  look,  or  word,  or  gesture  will  she  accept  him.  But  she  shall, 
though  !  That  is  what  her  brother  Charles  determines.  He  knows  that 
she  has  a  proud  spirit;  but  is  the  marriage  to  stop  on  that  account  'i  Not 
if  lie  can  make  it.  go  on.  He  clasps  Marguerite's  head  in  his  hands,  and 
compels  her  to  nod  assent.  The  archbishop  smiles,  and  the  ceremony  pro- 
ceeds, and  Margaret  is  married  in  spite  of  herself.  Then  come  feastings, 
and  tournaments,  and  great  rejoicings;  for  will  not  this  marriage,  this 
union  of  the  Huguenot  and  Catholic,  heal  all  the  divisions,  and  give  peace 
to  France?  Tlie  Huguenots  hope  so.  But  a  messenger  came  from  the 
Pope  a  few  days  ago,  and  he  has  an  interview  witli  the  king. 


ADMIRAL    COLIGNY. 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW, 


310 


"What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  friendship  for  the  Iieretics?"  the 
Pope  asks. 

"  I  cannot  tell  yon  ;  bnt  the  Pope  will  soon  have  reason  to  praise  iny 
zeal,"  is  the  reply  of  Charles. 

The  wedding  festivities  are  over.  The  Ilngnenot  leader,  Coligny, 
makes  ready  to  leave.  He  calls  and  pays  his  respects  to  the  king,  leaves 
the  palace,  and  walks  to  his  quarters.  He  is  reading  a  letter  as  he  passes 
along  the  street.  Crack !  The  blood  spurts  from  his  arm  and  stains  the 
paper.  Some  one  has  fired  a  pistol  at  him,  and  the  ball  has  passed 
through  his  arm.  He  looks  calmly  around,  and' sees  the  smoke  curling 
out  of  a  window.  People  rush  in,  but  no  one  is  there;  the  assassin  has 
fled.  What  is  the  meaning  of  it?  Is  there  a  trap  behind  all  the  feasting 
and  rejoicing  ?     The  king  hastens  to  console  the  brave  old  man. 

"  The  assassin  shall  be  snmmarily  dealt  with,"  says  Charles. 

The  wedding  was  on  Sunday,  and  it  is  now  Friday.  There  are  mys- 
terious movements  among  the  Catholics.  The  IIugue.nots  begin  to  be 
alarmed.     What  is  the  meaning  of  the  whispering  ? 

Saturday  afternoon  comes.     The  Duke  of  Guise,  Duke  de  lietz,  and 


OTRE    DAME. 


Others,  are  in  the  king's  palace  in  the  Louvi-e  conferring  togetlier.     Cath- 
erine comes  into  the  chamber  where  they  are  assembled. 

"It  must  be  done  to-night.     The  king  must  be  brought  up  to  issue  the 
order.     The  Iluejuenots  are  leavino-." 


320  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

That  is  the  conclusion  of  the  council.  Catherine  goes  into  the  king's 
apartment.  Slie  is  his  mother,  has  taught  him  to  obey  her.  He  is  twentj- 
one  years  old — weak,  irresolute. 

"  The  Huguenots  are  going  to  rise  against  you.  They  have  sent  to  Ger- 
many for  ten  thousand  men,  and  to  Switzerland  for  ten  thousand,"  she  says. 


Wimi 


fiii-^^ 


THE    MAUUIAGE. 


It  is  a  lie ;  but  she  can  tell  a  lie  quite  as  easily  as  she  can  the  truth, 
when  it  will  serve  her  purpose. 

"You  must  nip  the  insurrection  in  the  bud.  Coligny  is  at  the  bottom 
of  it;  you  must  put  him  out  of  tlie  way.  If  you  do  not,  there  will  be 
another  civil  war." 

"  I  will  not  have  Coligny  harmed,"  Charles  replies. 

Evening  comes.  The  wax-candles  are  lighted  in  the  chambers  of  the 
palace.     Again  Catherine  enters  the  king's  chamber. 

"War  is  inevitable  urdess  you  put  Coligny  out  of  the  way.  Let  him 
be  killed,  and  the  rest  of  the  Huguenots  will  submit." 

Charles  paces  his  chamber.  He  likes  the  brave  old  admiral.  He  has 
just  bidden  him  a  courteous  farewell.  Shall  he  turn  round  and  strike  him 
now?  In  an  anteroom  is  the  collector  of  taxes,  Charron,  and  some  of  the 
chief  men  of  Paris,  and  Count  De  Tavannes  is  talking  with  them  in  secret. 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW. 


321 


"  You  are  to  put  the  Huguenot  leader,  CuHgny,  out  of  the  way,"  says 
De  Tavannes. 

"  We  cannot  do  such  a  deed." 

"  Not  do  it !  Then  you  are  not  the  king's  friend.  If  you  do  not  take 
hold  of  it,  your  own  necks  will  be  stretched." 

That  is  not  a  pleasant  thought.  Tlie  king  must  be  in  earnest,  and 
they  too  will  be  in  eai'uest. 

"Ho  !  ho  !  That  is  the  way  you  take  it !  We  swear  tliat  we  will  play 
our  hands  so  well  that  St.  Bartholomew  shall  from  this  moment  be  re- 
membered," they  reply. 

The  collector  of  taxes  and  those  with  him  take  their  departm-e.  It 
is  past  midnight.  Paris  is  in  slumber.  Not  all  ai-e  asleep,  however.  The 
Duke  of  Guise,  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  Catherine  de'  Medici,  and  ruffians, 
with  drawn  swords,  are  awake  on  this  Sunday  morning — this  Day  of  St. 
Bartholomew.  At  daybreak  a  bell  will  toll,  and  the  crushing-out  of  the 
Huguenots  will  begin.  Tlie  Duke  of  Guise  is  nervous,  and  so  is  Cath- 
erine. So  many  know  of  what  is  about  to  happen,  that  they  fear  the  Hu- 
guenots will  hear  of  it. 

Catherine  hastens  to  Charles's  chamber  once  more.  He  is  sitting  ju 
a  chair,  moody,  angry,  silent.  He  has  acquiesced  in  the  plan  till  now ; 
but  as  the  hour  for  its  consummation  approaches,  is  irresolute.  It  will 
be  so  mean  to  have  the  old  admiral,  and  others  who  have  confided  in  his 
Avord,  assassinated.     Poor  weakling  that  he  is,  there  is  still  left  a  little  of 


Tin;    LOUVRE. 


his  better  nature.     The  education  that  he  has  received  from  his  mother — ■ 
that  the  end  always  justifies  the  means — the  school  of  falsehood  in  which 

21 


322 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


ASSASSINATION    OF    COLIGNY. 


he  has  been  taught,  has  not  quite  obliterated  all  sense  of  what  is  right 
and  honorable. 

"  Since  you  will  not  have  the  leader  of  the  Huguenots  harmed,  since 
you  ai-e  bent  on  having  war  once  more,  permit  me  to  retire  with  your 
brother  to  a  place  of  safety." 

He  has  always  obeyed  her.  He  is  a  boy,  with  no  mind  of  his  own. 
He  springs  to  his  feet. 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW.  323 

"Do  it!  do  it!  Kill  him  !  Kill  all  the  Ilngnenots  in  Paris,  that  none 
may  be  left  to  reproach  me !  Give  the  orders  at  once !"  lie  rushes  out 
of  the  room,  and  into  his  own  chamber. 

"  Strike  the  bell !" 

A  moment  later,  and  the  bell  on  the  clinrch  of  St.  Germain  TAnxerrois 
begins  tolling  at  half-past  one  in  the  morning.  The  brave  old  admiral  is 
asleep  in  his  chamber,  with  his  bandaged  arm  lying  upon  the  conntcrpane. 
A  Hugnenot  minister  is  sitting  by  his  side,  and  Doctor  Ambrose  Parr  is 
in  a  chamber  near  by. 

Boom!  boom!  boom!  The  admii-al  hears  the  tolling.  There  is  a 
tramping  of  feet  in  the  street ;  men  are  rushing  np  the  stairway  of  the 
hotel.  The  admiral  nnderstands  it.  His  hoar  has  come.  He  springs 
from  the  bed  and  puts  on  a  dressing-gown. 

"  Say  a  prayer  for  me,  my  friend.  I  commit  my  soul  to  my  Savionr." 
The  doctor  comes  in. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  commotion  ?"  asks  the  doctor. 

"  God  is  calling  ns,  I  am  ready.  Please  leave  me,  and  save  your- 
selves." 

The  minister  and  the  doctor  seek  safety  in  flight — np-stairs,  out  npon 
the  roof,  reaching  another  house.  The  door  of  the  admiral's  room  bursts 
open,  and  ruflians,  with  spears  and  swords,  rush  in. 

"  Are  you  the  admiral  ?" 

"  Young  man,  I  am.  Yon  come  against  a  wounded  old  man.  You 
cannot  much  shorten  my  life." 

The  spear  goes  into  his  bosom. 

"  Oh,  if  it  were  only  a  man  !  but  it  is  only  a  horse-boy." 

The  rufiian  beats  him  over  the  head.  Others  enter  and  plunge  their 
swords  into  the  prostrate  form. 

"Have  you  done  it?"     It  is  the  Duke  of  Guise  calling  from  the  street. 

"  Yes." 

"  Throw  him  down." 

The  ruffians  drag  the  lifeless  body  to  the  window,  raise  the  sash,  and 
throw  it  out.  It  falls  with  a  thud  upon  the  ground.  The  Duke  of  Guise 
looks  at  it.  The  face  is  smeared  with  blood.  He  wipes  it  away  with  a 
corner  of  the  dressing-gown.  "  'Tis  he,  sure  enough  ;"  and  stamps  his  heel 
into  the  face. 

Ah !  Duke  of  Guise,  gloating  over  the  form  of  the  noble  foe  who 
was  ever  j^our  equal  in  the  fleld  or  in  the  cabinet,  there  will  come  another 
day.     God  never  forgets  ! 

A  soldier  severs  the  head  fi'om  the  body,  and  takes  it  to  Catherine  de' 


324 


THE   STOEY   UF  LIBEETY. 


JUST    BEFORE    DAYBREAK,    SUNDAY    MORNING — ST.   BARTHOLOME 


Medici.  So  tlie  head  of  John  the  Baptist  was  brought  to  Herod's  wife. 
To  whom  does  Catherine  send  it?  Who  of  all  on  earth  will  be  most 
pleased  to  receive  snch  a  present?  Who  but  the  Pope — her  uncle!  A 
messenger  carries  it  to  Rome,  that  the  Pope  may  see  with  his  own  ejes 
that  the  great  Hngiienot  leader  is  dead. 

Bells  are  tolling  in  every  steeple.  Torches  glare  in  the  streets.  Armed 
men  are  rushing  frantically  from  house  to  house,  breaking  in  doors,  rush- 
ing into  chambers,  murdering  men  and  women  in  their  beds,  or  plunging 
their  swords  into  their  bosoms  as  they  attempt  to  flee.  Muskets  are  flash- 
ing. Charles  himself  fires  upon  the  panic-sirickeu  fugitives.  All  through 
the  hours  of  the  summer  night  the  scene  of  death  goes  on.  Henry  Conde 
and  Henry  of  Navarre  are  seized  and  brought  before  Charles.  Catherine 
does  not  want  tliem  killed.     She  has  other  plans. 

"I  mean  to  have  but  one  religion  in  my  kingdom.  There  shall  be 
mass  or  death.     Make  your  choice."     It  is  Charles  who  utters  it. 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW. 


325 


"You  have  promised  libert}-  of  conscience  to  the  Huguenots.     I  will 
take  time  to  consider  it,"  is  the  reply  of  Henry  of  Navarre. 

"  As  for  me,  I  sliall  remain  firm  in  my  religion  though  I  give  my  life 
for  it,"  Henry  Conde  replies. 

"  You  rebel — you  son  of  a  rebel,  if  you  do  not  change  your  language 
before  three  days,  I  will  have  you  strangled  !" 

Of  the  throng  of  Huguenot  nobles  who  come  to  Paris  to  attend  the 
wedding,  all  are  seized.  The  Swiss  Guards  of  the  king  are  let  loose  upon 
them,  and  all  are  massacred.  There  they  lie  in  a  heap  in  the  court-yard 
of  the  Louvre — -two  hundred  of  the  noblest  men  of  the  kingdom.  Charles, 
Catherine,  the  ladies  of  the  court,  go  out  and  behold  them — the  men  with 
whom  they  danced  three  days  ago !  They  gaze  upon  their  ghastly  coun- 
tenances besmeared  with  blood,  and  indulge  in  ribald  laughter.  So,  it 
is  said,  the  hyenas  laugh  when  they 
have  dug  up  the  bones  of  the  dead, 
and  crunch  them  beneath  their  teeth. 

Xever  before  was  there  such  a 
festival  of  St.  Bartholomew.  Fam- 
ilies are  broken  up.  There  are  sud- 
den partings,  husbands  from  wives, 
parents  from  children,  young  men 
from  the  maidens  whom  they  lo\e, 
to  meet  no  more,  maybe,  this  side 
the  grave.  In  the  river  are  thou- 
sands of  floating  corpses  —  men, 
women,  children.  No  age  or  sex  is 
spared. 

"Kill  the  heretics!"  It  is  the 
cry  of  the  priests  and  the  soldiers. 
What  though  fair  maidens  plead  for 
mercy  ?  What  though  mothers  pray 
that  the  lives  of  their  infants  may 
be  spared?  There  is  no  pity,  and 
the  massacre  goes  on ;  and  nt)t 
only  in  Paris,  but  in  the  country — 
in  Lyons,  Bordeaux,  Orleans.  Sev- 
enty thousand  men,  women,  and 
children  are  slaughtered. 

The  bells  of  Eome  are  rincrino-,  and  the  ffuns  of  St.  Ano-elo  thunder- 
ing ;  bonfires  blaze  ;  and  Gregory  XIIL,  attended  by  cardinals,  archbish- 


PARTING    TO    MEET    KO    MOUE. 


326 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


ops,  bishops,  and  a  great  throng  of  prelates,  march  in  procession.  A  Te 
Deum  is  chanted,  and  the  Pope  commissions  the  painter  Vasari  to  paint 
the  scene  of  the  massacre,  and  employs  an  artist  to  engrave  a  medal  com- 
memorative of  the  event.  The  preachers  in  Rome  deliver  eloqnent  ora- 
tions, and  a  messenger  carries  a  golden  rose  to  Charles  as  a  present  from 
the  Pope. 

Fifteen  months   pass.      Charles  has  acted  strangely.      The  Venetian 


THE    PICTURK    WHICH    THE    POPE    ORDERED    TO    BE    PAINTED. 

ambassador,  Cavilli,  makes  tlie  king  a  visit,  and  writes  of  his  appearance  : 
"  He  is  melancholy  and  sombre.  He  dares  not  look  any  one  in  the  face. 
He  drops  his  head,  and  closes  his  eyes.  It  is  feared  that  the  demon  of 
Tengeance  has  taken  possession  of  him.     He  is  becoming  crnel." 

He  grows  weak  and  feeble,  and  will  have  no  one  near  him  except  his 
nnrse.  His  conscience  is  awake,  and  his  mind  racked  w^ith  remorse. 
The  screeches  of  the  victims  of  St.  Bartholomew  are  ringing  in  his  ears. 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW.  327 

He  sees  men,  women,  and  children  flying  tlirongh  the  streets  crying  for 
mercy,  pursued  by  blood-thirsty  wretches.  The  air  is  tilled  with  ghosts ; 
the  ground  strewed  wnth  ghastly  corpses. 

"Ah,  nurse  !  what  blood  !  what  murder  !  Oh,  what  evil  counsel  have 
I  followed  !"  Then  he  prays.  "  O  God,  forgive  me !  Have  mercy  on 
me  !"  Despair  sets  in.  "  I'm  lost !  I'm  lost !"  On  July  30th,  1574,  he 
ceases  to  breathe,  and  Henry,  Duke  of  Anjou,  Catherine's  younger  son, 
becomes  Henry  III.,  King  of  France. 


328 


THE   STORY  OF   LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

HOW  THE  "BEGGARS"  FOUGHT  FOR  THEIR  RIGHTS. 

OF  all  people  in  Europe,  none  are  more  peacefully  inclined  than  the 
inhabitants  of  Holland.  They  are  great  workers,  and  have  no  de- 
sire to  engage  in  quarrels  with  anybody.  There  was  a  time  when  a  por- 
tion of  their  land  was  under  the  sea.  The  water  was  not  deep,  and  the 
people  built  dikes — laying  down  bundles  of  brush,  trunks  of  trees,  heaping 
mud  upon  them,  so  fencing  out  the  ocean.  Then  they  erected  windmills, 
and  pumped  out  the  water.  They  laid  off  the  land  into  fields  and  gardens, 
built  their  houses,  made  the  canals  their  highways,  and  so,  as  the  years 
rolled  on,  there  grew  up  a  country,  as  it  were,  from  beneath  the  sea. 


A    DOG    TEAM. 


HOW  THE  "BEGGARS"  FOUGHT  FOR  THEHl  RIGHTS. 


329 


I 


The  Dutch  have  little  time  to  spend  in  pleasure.  In  winter,  when  the 
canals  are  frozen,  they  get  up  skating  parties ;  but  in  summer  the  butter 
and  cheese  must  be  made,  and  the 
cabbages  cultivated.  Everybody 
must  work.  Even  the  dogs  are  put 
into  liarness.  By  hard,  patient  labor 
they  have  become  a  thrifty  people. 
Once  they  all  accepted  the  Pope  as 
the  head  of  the  Church ;  but  they 
have  begun  to  think  for  themselves, 
and  are  fast  becoming  heretics. 
Charles,  before  he  resigned  his  crown 
to  Philip,  began  to  burn  and  hang 
them.  He  taxed  them  unjustly,  con- 
fiscated their  property,  cast  them  into 
prison.  The  men  who  ask  questions 
have  been  sending  thousands  of  men 
and  women  to  jail.  Fires  blaze,  and 
men  are  burned,  not  because  they 
have  committed  crime,  but  because 
tliey  read  the  Bible.  Since  Charles 
laid  aside  the  crown,  Philip  has  been 
crushing  out  the  lieretics  with  all  his 
might.  More  than  one  hundred  thou- 
sand have  been  put  to  death,  thrust  into  jail,  or  driven  from  the  country. 
The  people  have  risen  in  revolt.  One  of  Philip's  officers  called  them  a 
nation  of  beggars ;  they  have  accepted  the  term,  and  have  elected  as  tlieir 
leader  the  Silent  Man,  William,  on  whose  shoulder  Charles  leaned  when 
he  resigned  his  crown.  The  Silent  Man  is  giving  his  money,  his  time,  his 
energies,  to  the  cause.  He  M^as  a  Catholic  ;  but  he  sees  that  men  have  a 
right  to  think  for  themselves,  and  is  ready  to  lay  down  his  life,  if  need 
be,  for  liberty.  He  has  been  defeated  in  battle  again  and  again,  has  been 
so  straitened  in  circumstances  that  he  had  not  money  enough  to  buy  a 
breakfast ;  but  he  has  gathered  another  army,  and  is  detei-mined  to  drive 
the  Spaniards  out  of  Holland. 

In  1574,  the  Spaniards  are  besieging  Leyden.  Philip  offers  the  citizens 
of  the  town  a  pardon  if  they  will  surrender.  But  what  have  they  done 
that  they  should  accept  a  pardon  ?  Nothing.  They  have  been  thinking  for 
themselves,  and  reading  the  Bible,  which  the  Pope  has  forbidden  ;  but  have 
they  not  a  right  to  read  it  ?     If  so,  they  will  not  ask  pardon  of  any  one. 


■WILLIAM    THE    SILENT. 


330 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


I    — 


THK    GREAT    CANAL. 


Philip  is  in  Spain,  eating  bacon -fat  and  witnessing  the  bnrning  of 
heretics.     This  is  the  answer  which  the  people  of  Leyden  send  to  hini : 

"As  long  as  there  is  a  man  left,  we  will  fight  for  our  liberty  and  our 
religion." 

General  Yaldez,  one  of  Philip's  officers,  is  sent  by  the  Duke  of  Alva 
to  level  the  city  to  the  ground.  After  taking  Leyden,  he  will  sail  up  the 
Great  Canal  to  Amsterdam.  Five  miles  from  Leyden  is  a  great  dike — the 
Land-scheiding.  Three-quarters  of  a  mile  nearer  is  anotlier,  called  the 
Greenway.  Thei-e  is  another  still,  called  the  Kirk\vay.  Inside  of  these 
ai-e  the  forts  and  redoubts — sixty-two  in  all,  M^hich  are  in  the  possession 
of  the  Spaniards.  Half  a  pound  of  meat  and  half  a  pound  of  bread 
is  all  they  have  to  eat  a  day,  the  aldermen  weighing  it  out  to  each  per- 
son in  the  city.  On  every  side  the  Spaniards  pitch  their  tents.  The  peo- 
ple of  Leyden  are  shut  in.  Only  by  pigeons  can  they  send  word  to 
the  Prince  of  Orange.  They  have  no  soldiers ;  but  every  citizen  is  a 
soldier,  and  so  is  every  woman.  May  and  June  pass ;  there  are  frequent 
skirmishes, 

"We  will  pay  a  bounty  for  the  head  of  eveiy  Spaniard,"  say  the 
burgomasters  of  Leyden,  and  now  and  then   a   man   steals   out,  kills   a 


HOW   THE  "BEGGARS"  FOUGHT   FOR  THEHl   RIGHTS.  331 

Spaniard,  cuts  off  his  liead,  brings  it  in,  and  sticks  it  upon  a  pole  on  the 
walls,  that  the  Spaniards  may  see  it. 

The  Spanish  general  expects  to  starve  the  "  beggars  "  into  snbnfiission. 
The  days  go  by.  The  Prince  of  Orange  cannot  raise  an  army  large  enough 
to  fight  Valdez ;  but  there  is  one  thing  that  can  be  done — he  can  let  in  the 
sea  upon  the  land,  and  drown  out  the  hateful  myrmidons  of  the  Pope  and 
of  Philip.  The  people  hail  the  proposition  with  joy.  "  Better  a  drowned 
land  than  a  lost  land.  We  can  pump  it  dry  again,  if  we  drown  it;  but  if 
we  yield  to  the  Spaniards,  our  liberties  are  gone  forever,"  they  say. 

"  Cut  the  sluices !"  It  is  the  order  issued  by  the  Silent  Man,  and  men 
go  to  work  with  their  spades  digging  away  the  dikes.  But  what  will 
the  people  in  the  country  do?  They  must  leave  their  homes.  There  is 
a  scene  of  confusion.  They  take  their  pigs,  cattle,  goats,  their  goods  and 
chattels,  on  board  their  boats,  and  hasten  to  Amsterdam.  It  is  hard  to 
see  the  property  disappearing  beneath  the  waves,  to  behold  their  houses 
Heating  away ;  but  better  this  than  to  give  up  their  rights. 

A  pigeon  flies  into  Leyden  with  a  letter  fastened  to  its  neck.  The 
burgomaster  reads  the  letter  to  the  people : 

"  The  dikes  are  cut.  There  are  two  hundred  vessels  ready  to  sail  to 
your  relief  loaded  with  provisions." 

The  cannon  thunder,  the  bells  ring,  the  people  sing  a  psalm  of  thanks- 
giving over  the  joyful  news,  for  starvation  is  staring  them  in  the  face. 


THE    FORTIFICATIONS 


The  Spaniards  wonder  what  is  going  on  in  the  city.     It  is  not  long, 
however,  before  they  know  that  something  is  going  on  outside  which  they 


332  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

never  dreamed  of.  The  water  begins  to  rise  around  them.  What  is  the 
meaning  of  it  ?  It  rises  slowly.  Light  dawns  upon  them.  The  dikes  are 
broken,  and  an  enemy  which  they  will  be  powerless  to  resist  is  stealing 
upon  them.  It  rises  ten  inches,  and  comes  to  a  stand-stilL  They  are  safe. 
It  will  not  rise  any  higlier.     They  laugh  at  the  "  beggars." 

"  Go  up  the  steeples,  you  '  beggars,'  and  see  if  the  ocean  is  coming  to 
your  relief." 

The  people  go  up  and  look  toward  the  north.  They  can  see  water 
covering  the  fields,  but  then  it  is  only  a  few  inches  deep,  and  the  Spaniards' 
camp  is  still  on  dry  land.  They  gaze  in  sorrow,  for  the  bread  and  meat 
are  nearly  gone.     People  are  already  starving. 

There  are  sea  "  beggars  "  as  well  as  land  "  beggars,"  and  the  "  beggars  " 
of  the  sea  are  getting  ready  to  come  to  the  aid  of  their  beleaguered 
brethren. 

Admiral  Poisot  commands  them.  They  are  hardy  sailors  —  twenty- 
five  hundred  in  number.  The  man  on  the  tower  in  Leyden  discovers 
the  "  beggars "  of  the  sea.  There  they  are,  only  five  miles  awa}^,  two 
hundred  armed  vessels  loaded  with  provisions.  The  vessels  have  sailed 
in  over  the  submerged  land  fifteen  miles,  passing  over  fields  and  gar- 
dens. The  fleet  reaches  the  great  dike — the  Land-scheiding,  which  is 
guarded  by  the  Spaniards ;  but  the  "  beggars "  of  the  sea  open  fire 
upon  them.  Some  of  them  leap  out  of  the  ships,  wade  to  the  dike,  and 
quickly  ovei-power  the  Spaniards.  None  are  spared,  but  all  are  put  to 
death. 

Xow  the  "  beggars  "  are  at  work  with  their  spades  breaking  down  the 
dikes,  the  water  rushes  through,  and  the  vessels  float  on. 

The  admiral  seizes  the  second  main  dike,  the  Greenway,  and  breaks 
it  down.  He  floats  his  ships  to  a  stone  bridge,  a  fortress  in  itself,  swarm- 
ing with  Spaniards.  The  admiral  cannot  take  it.  His  vessels  ground. 
The  wind  is  off  the  shore,  and  the  water,  instead  of  rising,  is  falling  away. 
For  a  week  the  vessels  lie  there  imbedded  in  the  mud. 

The  wind  suddenly  whirls  north-west,  and  the  waves  roll  in  once  more. 
The  vessels  float.  They  are  only  half  a  mile  fi-om  Leyden,  but  between, 
the  fleet  and  thQ'-city  is  the  Kirkway,  and  the  forts,  swarming  with  Span- 
iards and  bristling  with  guns.  Oh,  how  dismal  the  days  in  the  besieged 
town !  Thousands  have  died  of  starvation.  Bread — there  is  none.  All 
the  malt-cake  has  been  eaten.  The  people  are  eating  dogs,  cats,  and  rats. 
A  few  cows  only  are  left.  When  one  is  killed,  every  scrap  is  eaten. 
They  boil  the  hide,  make  it  into  soup.  They  eat  the  intestines,  boil  the 
horns  to  get  the  last  particle  of  marrow.     The  famishing  creatures  strip 


HOW  THE    "BEGGARS"  FOUGEIT  FOR  THEIR   RIGHTS.  335 

the  leaves  from  the  trees,  dig  up  the  roots  of  grass  growing  in  the  streets, 
and  devour  them. 

Infants  starve  in  the  ai-ms  of  their  mothei-s,  and  mothers  drop  dead  in 
the  streets,  or  creep  away  to  die  in  some  lonely  place.  The  watchmen,  as 
they  go  their  rounds,  iind  corpses  everywhere.  Eight  thousand  have  died 
of  starvation.  The  air  is  reeking  with  malaria,  but  still  the  people  of  Ley- 
den  hold  out. 

Pieter  Van  der  Werff  is  burgomaster.  He  stands  in  the  market-place 
— tall,  haggard  with  hunger,  worn  out  with  watching. 

There  are  a  few  faint-hearted  ones.    "  Give  up  the  city,"  they  cr}-. 

"Would  yon  have  me  surrender?  I  have  taken  my  oath  to  hold  the 
city.  May  God  give  me  strength  to  keep  it !  Here,  take  my  sword ; 
plunge  it  into  my  body;  divide  my  flesh  to  appease  your  hunger,  if  you 
will ;  but,  God  helping  me,  I  never  will  sui-render." 

Brave  Van  der  Werff !  For  this  heroic  flrmness  your  name  shall  go 
down  the  centuries, 

''  Ila !  ha !  How  do  you  rat-eaters  get  on  ?  The  sea  hasn't  come  to 
Leyden  yet."  It  is  the  taunt  which  the  Spaniards  shout,  secure  in  the 
fortifications. 

"  You  call  us  rat-eaters.  We  are ;  but  so  long  as  you  can  hear  a  dog 
bark  inside  of  the  walls,  you  may  know  that  the  city  holds  out.  We  will 
eat  our  left  arms,  and  fight  with  our  right.  When  we  can  stand  no  longer, 
we  will  set  fire  to  the  city,  and  perish  in  the  flames,  rather  than  give  up 
our  liberties,"  is  the  answer  hurled  into  the  teeth  of  the  Spaniards. 

The  night  of  October  1st  comes.  The  city  is  at  its  last  gasp.  Day 
after  day  the  \vind  has  been  off  the  shore,  and  the  fleet  has  lain  motionless 
in  the  mud.  The  wind  whirls  south-west  and  blows  a  hurricane.  Tlie 
sea  is  rolling  in.  The  water  rises.  The  vessels  float.  "  Hurrah  !"  The 
ciy  goes  up  from  the  "  beggars"  of  the  sea.  The  morning  comes,  the  fleet 
is  close  upon  two  of  the  forts.  The  Spaniards  are  seized  with  a  panic. 
They  leave  the  fortifications,  and  rush  along  the  dike.  The  "  beggars " 
of  the  sea  chase  them,  throwing  harpoons,  and  striking  them  down  just  as 
they  have  harpooned  the  walruses  of  the  north  seas.  Only  one  fort  blocks 
the  path  of  the  "  beggars  "  now.  Let  them  but  take  that,  and  the  city  will 
be  saved.  Night  comes  on.  In  the  morning  the  "  beggars "  will  open 
upon  the  fortress  with  all  their  cannon.  The  waves  are  rolling  in,  dashing 
over  the  dikes.  Dark  and  gloomy  the  hours.  In  the  city  everybody  is 
astir ;  for  when  morning  comes  the  citizens  will  make  a  sortie,  and  fight 
their  way  to  the  fleet. 

Crash !     There  is  a  sound  of  a  falling  wall.     The  citizens  stand  aghast, 


336 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


for  the  waves  have  nndermined  the  wall  of  the  city,  and  there  is  a  wido 
gap  through  which  the  Spaniards  can  enter  the  town.  There  is  a  hubbub 
in  the  Spanish  camp.  All  is  lost !  No,  not  all.  Day  dawns.  The  forts 
are  silent.  No  Spaniards  are  in  sight,  not  even  a  sentinel  pacing  his  beat. 
Just  outside  of  the  fort  is  the  fleet.  The  cannon  are  loaded,  and  the 
men  stand  with  lighted  matches.  The  "  beggars "  of  the  sea  are  deter- 
mined to  sweep  all  before  them. 

The  admiral  sees  a  man  wading  through  the  water  toward  the  fleet, 
while  the  people  in  the  city  see  a  boy  waving  his  cap  from  one  of  the 
forts.     What  is  the  meaning  of  it  ? 
"  They  are  gone  !"  he  cries. 

There  is  not  a  Spaniard  left.  At  midnight  they  fled.  The  falling  of 
the  wall  fllled  them  with  consternation.  They  tliink  the  citizens  are  mak- 
ing a  sortie,  and  flee  along  the  dike,  and  now  they  are  miles  away.  They 
might  have  stayed  secure.  The  fleet  might  have  been  beaten  back.  Had 
they  waited  till  daybreak,  they  might  have  marched  into  the  city  over  the 
fallen  wall. 

Up  to  the  town  sail  the  ships ;  out  from  their  houses  creep  the  starv- 
ing citizens.  The  sailors  are  tossing  meat  and  loaves  of  bi'ead  on  shore. 
The  starving  creatures  eat  as  wolves  eat;  and  then  they  enter  the  great 

church,  fall  on  their  knees,  and,  with 
tears  upon  their  cheeks,  give  thanks 
to  God. 

Never  again  shall  the  Spaniard 
beleaguer  Leyden  ;  never  again  shall 
Philip  encamp  his  armies  in  their 
fields,  over  which  the  sea  is  rolling. 
They  have  drowned  their  land,  but 
have  saved  that  which  is  worth  more 
than  houses,  lands,  or  life — their  lib- 
erty. From  this  time  on  they  will 
wage  war  agaiust  the  Spaniards  till 
they  drive  them  from  tlie  country. 
There  is  great  rejoicing  in  Amster- 
dam. The  people  send  more  sup- 
plies to  their  friends  in  Leyden. 
Other  cities  contribute.  Elizabeth 
of  England  befriends  them.  She  is 
greatly  moved  when  she  hears  of 
their  sufferi)]gs,  and  of  their  bravery 


THE    OLD    CUUUCH. 


HOW  THE    "BEGGARS"  FOUGHT  FOR  THEIR  RIGHTS. 


331 


and  endurance.  She  sends  Sir  William  Davison  with  money  to  aid  them. 
Sir  William  has  a  young  man  for  his  secretary,  William  Brewster,  who 
performs  his  duties  so  faithfully  tliat  the  burgomaster  presents  him  with 


A-MSTEKD.VM. 


a  gold  chain.  Let  ns  take  a  good  look  at  this  young  man,  for  we  shall 
see  him  by-and-by  in  the  old  manor-house  at  Scrooby,  and  on  the  shores 
of  New  England,  laying  the  foundations  of  liberty  in  the  New  World. 
Sir  William  Davison  is  his  friend ;  and  Elizabeth's  great  minister,  Sir 
Thomas  Cecil,  has  appointed  him  to  this  position.  He  is  in  high  favor. 
He  loves  liberty,  and  his  soul  is  greatly  stirred  at  the  outrages  committed 
by  the  Spaniards.  He  is  learning  early  in  life  that  liberty  is  worth  more 
than  all  things  else. 

22 


I 


338  THE   STOKY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XX7L 

WHY   THE   QUEEN   OF  SCOTLAND   LOST   HER   HEAD. 

EIGHTEEN  5'€ars  have  passed  since  Mary  of  Scotland  fled  from  the 
kingdom.  She  has  been  a  pi-isoner  the  while.  Going  back  to  that 
day  when  she  came,  weary  and  worn,  to  Carlisle,  we  see  her  sending  a 
letter  to  Elizabeth  asking  for  an  interview,  which  the  Queen  of  England 
will  not  grant,  bnt  who  sends  Sir  Francis  Knollys  to  give  a  reason  for  the 
refusal.  While  Sir  Francis  is  on  his  way,  a  letter  comes  from  Catherine 
de'  Medici.  Thus  it  reads :  "  Piinces  should  assist  each  other  to  chastise 
and  punish  subjects  who  rise  against  them,  and  are  rebels  against  their 
sovereigns." 

Catherine  wants  Elizabeth  to  march  an  army  into  Scotland  to  put 
down  Mary's  half-brother,  the  Earl  of  Murray,  who,  though  ruling  in  the 
name  of  Mary's  son,  is  in  reality  king. 

Sir  Francis  has  an  interview  with  Mary. 

"  Some  suspicions  are  abroad  in  regard  to  the  complicity  of  your  grace 
in  the  murder  of  Lord  Darnley,  and  the  queen  will  appoint  a  commission 
to  investigate  the  matter,"  says  Sir  Francis. 

"  I  am  not  answerable  to  the  Queen  of  England.  Sovereigns  are 
amenable  to  no  one,"  is  Mary's  reply. 

"  Princes  may  be  deposed  by  their  subjects  in  some  cases — if  insane, 
for  instance,  or  if  they  have  committed  murder,"  Sir  Francis  replies. 

The  tears  steal  down  Mary's  cheeks.  This  is  the  new  doctrine.  Kings 
and  queens  answerable  to  their  subjects?  Never.  To  admit  it  M'ill  be 
admitting  that  they  can  do  wrong.  It  is  the  doctrine  which  George 
Buchanan  inculcated  in  that  little  pamphlet  which  he  published,  written 
in  Latin,  and  entitled  "  De  Jure  Regni."  To  admit  such  a  doctrine  will 
be  admitting  that  subjects  can  cut  off  the  heads  of  sovereigns;  whereas 
from  time  immemorial  only  sovereigns  have  had  the  right  to  decapitate 
subjects. 

George  Buchanan  is  superintending  the  education  of  Mary's  boy.  King 
James.     The  boy  is  proud  and  wilful,  and  thinks  that,  as  he  is  king,  he 


WHY   THE   QUEEN   OF   SCOTLAND   LOST   HER   HEAD.  o'd'.f 

may  do  as  he  pleases.     One  of  his  playmates  is  the  young  Earl  of  Mar, 
who  has  a  tame  sparrow,  which  James  Avould  like  to  own. 

"  Give  it  to  me,"  is  his  demand. 

"  I  won't,"  the  Mar  boy  replies,  not  wishing  to  part  witii  his  pet. 

"  It  is  mine.      I  am  king,"  James  retorts,  and  seizes  it. 

"  Take  that !"  and  Mar  gives  liim  a  blow  in  the  face  with  his  tist. 


QUEEN    ELIZABETH. 


"What  is  all  this  fuss  about?"  George  Buchanan  asks,  as  lie  entei-s 
the  room. 

"  He  has  seized  my  sparrow,"  says  Mar. 

"  It  was  mine.     I  am  king,"  James  answers. 

"King,  are  you?  I'll  teach  you  not  to  take  things  by  force;"  and 
the  boy-king  has  his  ears  boxed. 


340  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

One  day  George  Buchanan  is  reading,  and  James  and  Mar  disturb 
him. 

"  Be  quiet !"  says  Buchanan. 

"I  shall  make  as  much  noise  as  I  please.  I  have  the  right;  I  am 
king." 

George  Buchanan  lays  down  his  book,  takes  the  King  of  Scotland  over 
his  knee,  and  gives  him  a  spanking.  The  Countess  of  Mar  rushes  in,  with 
her  hands  uplifted  in  horror. 

"  How  dare  you  lift  your  hand  against  the  Lord's  anointed  ?"  she  cries. 

It  is  not  a  very  polite  reply  which  gruff  George  Buchanan  makes ;  but 
he  informs  her  that  the  boy,  although  he  is  king,  must  behave  himself, 
and  have  respect  to  the  rights  of  others. 

Mary's  friends — the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  in  France,  the  Duke  of  Nor- 
folk in  England — are  intriguing  with  some  of  the  nobles  of  Scotland  to 
create  disaffection  in  England  against  Elizabeth.  The  Duke  of  Norfolk 
will  rally  his  followers ;  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  and  the  Duke  of  Guise 
will  raise  an  army  in  France ;  the  Scots  will  take  the  field,  bring  about  a 
revolution  in  England,  dethrone  Elizabeth,  liberate  Mary,  and  niake  her 
queen  not  only  of  Scotland,  but  of  England.  The  Duke  of  Norfolk  pro- 
poses to  marry  her.  He  is  rich  and  powerful,  and  under  his  lead  England 
and  Scotland  shall  once  more  be  brought  under  the  authority  of  the  Pope. 

The  Pope  knows  what  is  going  on.  He  has  a  plan  for  the  extermina- 
tion of  all  who  will  not  submit  to  his  authority.  They  shall  be  crushed 
out  in  England  and  France  alike. 

"  Take  no  prisoners,  but  kill  all  who  fall  into  your  hands,"  is  his  mes- 
sage to  the  Duke  of  Guise.*  He  sends  a  present  to  the  Duke  of  Alva, 
Philip's  blood-thirsty  general,  who  is  trying  to  crush  out  the  liberties  of 
the  people  of  Holland.  Fugitives  from  France  and  the  Netherlands  flee 
to  England  to  find  protection,  and  are  protected. 

Shall  Elizabeth  release  Mary  from  prison  ?  It  is  the  one  great  ques- 
tion. It  was  a  breach  of  hospitality  to  put  her  in  prison.  Mary  came 
into  Englajid  a  fugitive.  Fo-r  eighteen  years  she  has  been  a  prisoner. 
Why  ?  Because  she  is  the  central  figure  around  whom  all  the  conspir- 
ators rally.  The  Jesuits  are  travelling  through  the  country  denouncing 
Elizabeth.  Philip  of  Spain  is  sending  his  spies  throughout  the  land  to 
stir  np  the  people  to  rebel.  The  Duke  of  Guise  will  help.  The  disaf- 
fected Scots  will  rally  to  overthrow  the  Earl  of  Murray. 

On  February  25th,  1570,  the  Pope  publishes  a  bull  absolving  all  Eng- 

*  "History  of  the  Popes,"  Runke,  vol.  i.,  p.  383. 


WHY   THE   QUEEN   OF   SCOl'LAXD  LOST   HER   HEAD.  341 

lisbmen  from  allegiance  to  Elizabeth,  and  enjoining  them  not  to  obey  her 
commands.  The  Earls  of  Northnmberland  and  "Westmoreland  begin  tiie 
rebellion.  Shall  Elizabetli  remain  qniet,  and  see  the  affections  of  her  sub- 
jects alienated  ? 

Now  comes  the  news  that  the  streets  of  Paris  are  running  with  the 
blood  of  murdered  Huguenots.  If  heretics  are  murdered  in  France,  why 
may  they  not  be  in  England  ? 

On  September  5th,  1570,  the  Bishop  of  London  writes  a  letter  to  Sir 
William  Cecil,  Elizabeth's  prime  minister:  "Men's  hearts  ache  for  fear 
that  this  barbarous  treachery  will  not  stop  in  France,  but  will  reach  us." 

Bishop  Sandys,  who  owns  the  old  manor-house  at  Scrooby,  writes  to 
Sir  William  Cecil :  "  Cut  off  the  Scottish  queen's  head  forthwith." 

Why  does  Bishop  Sandys  desire  that  Mary  shall  lose  her  head  ?  Be- 
cause that  she  is  the  one  individual  around  whom  all  the  powers  of  Spain, 
France,  Scotland,  and  Eome  rally,  for  the  overthrow  of  the  government 
in  Church  and  State,  established  by  Henry  VIH.,  overthrown  by  Mary, 
and  re-established  by  Elizabeth. 

Parliament  passes  a  law  making  it  treason  for  any  one  to  publish  the 
Pope's  bull  in  England,  or  to  deny  that  Elizabeth  is  rightful  queen ;  but, 
notwithstanding  the  law,  the  Jesuits  are  determined  to  drive  Elizabeth 
from  the  throne.  What  care  they  for  law  ?  To  the  Pope  alone  are  tliey 
amenable. 

A  great  number  of  Jesuit  priests — Englishmen,  who  have  been  study- 
ing at  Douay,  in  France — come  one  by  one. 

"  Elizabeth  is  a  usurper.  She  is  no  longer  queen.  Tlie  Pope  has  de- 
posed her.  Mary  is  the  true  queen."  They  whisper  it  to  the  people,  to 
incite  them  to  rebellion.     It  is  not  long  before  the  priests  are  arrested. 

"  We  are  not  traitors.  You  persecute  us  because  we  are  Catholics," 
say  the  prisoners. 

"  For  fourteen  years  none  have  been  persecuted  on  account  of  their 
religion  here  in  England.  Do  you  •  not  support  the  Pope's  bull  ?"  the 
judges  ask. 

"  The  Pope  in  his  bull  says  it  is  not  binding  on  us  to  resist  the  queen, 
unless  the  bull  can  be  executed,"  the  Jesuits  respond.  That  is  wdiat  Loyola 
taught. 

"  That  means  that  when  you  are  strong  enough  you  will  drive  the 
queen  from  the  throne.  If  England  is  attacked,  will  you  support  the 
queen  ?" 

The  Jesuits  make  no  reply.  They  are  condemned  as  traitors,  as  in- 
citers of  rebellion,  and  are  executed. 


342  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

]^ow  comes  the  news,  in  1584,  of  tlie  assassination  of  William,  the 
Silent  Man.  Papists  did  it.  All  England  becomes  hot  against  the  Jes- 
nits.  They  are  arrested  by  scores,  and  put  to  death.  The  Jesuits  are  sus- 
pected and  closely  watched.  Those  who  have  been  to  confession,  or  at- 
tended mass  in  secret  places,  are  thrown  into  prison.  The  country  is  in 
no  mood  to  tolerate  liberty  of  conscience. 

Over  in  Paris  is  Fi-ancis  Walsinghara,  who  is  beating  the  Jesuits  at 
their  own  game.  lie  has  his  spies  everywhere.  Servants  who  wait  on 
tables,  hair-dressers,  chamber-maids,  valets,  coachmen — men  in  all  stations 
— have  their  eyes  and  ears  open  day  and  night  to  see  and  hear  what  is 
going  on,  and  Sir  Francis  pays  them.  He  discovers  that  there  is  a  plot 
to  assassinate  Elizabeth  and  place  Mary  on  the  throne.  The  conspiratoi-s 
in  France  and  Spain  are  in  coi'respondence  with  others  in  England.  Mary 
knows  what  is  going  on.  The  conspirators  in  England  are  arrested  and 
executed.  What  shall  be  done  with  Mary  ?  The  ministers  appoint  a 
court  to  try  her. 

"  I  am  not  a  subject,  to  be  tried  ;  I  am  a  queen,"  is  Mary's  protest. 

"You  cannot  try  one  who  reigns  by  the  command  of  God,"  say  her 
friends. 

"  She  has  resigned  her  crown,  and  is  no  longer  queen,"  the  judges 
reply. 

"  She  resigned  because  she  was  compelled  to,  and  therefore  it  is  not 
binding,"  her  friends  respond. 

"T/if?  safety  of  the  jpeojde  is  the  highest  law^''  say  the  judges,  over- 
throwing at  once  the  doctrine  that  kings  and  queens  have  rights  so  sacred 
that  they  cannot  be  dealt  with.  The  judges  have  read  George  Buchanan's 
little  pamphlet,  and  the  world  is  beginning  to  understand  that  kings  and 
(pieens  are  amenable  to  law  as  well  as  common  people. 

The  court  declares  Mary  guilty,  and  Parliament  presents  an  address 
to  Elizabeth  asking  her  to  sign  a  warrant  for  her  execution,  for  no  one 
can  be  executed  unless  the  queen  signs  the  warrant.  Elizabeth  hesitates. 
Mary  is  her  cousin.  Shall  she  put  her  to  death  ?  Parliament  has  de- 
clared her  to  be  an  enemy  to  the  public  peace  —  a  conspirator.  If  Eliz- 
abeth were  to  die,  Mary  would  claim  the  throne,  and  there  would  be  no 
end  of  trouble.  Henry  III.  of  France  sends  a  letter  threatening  Eliza- 
])eth  with  vengeance  if  Mary  be  put  to  death.  Mary's  son  James  sends 
commissioners  to  intercede  for  her;  while  Philip  II.  of  Spain  prepares  to 
make  war  on  England. 

Elizabeth  is  moody  and  silent.  Those  who  wait  upon  her  hear  her 
talkinsr  to  herself. 


WHY  THE   QUEEN   OF   SCOTLAND   LOST   HER  HEAD. 


343 


"  Strike,  or  be  struck  !" 

A  letter  conies  from  Spain  :  "  Philip  is  fitting  out  a  great  fleet  and 
army  to  invade  England." 

Elizabeth  appoints  Earl  Howard,  a  Catholic,  as  lord  high  admiral,  to 
command  her  fleets,  which  gives  great  ofi^ence  to  some  of  her  friends ;  but 
the  earl  is  an  Englishman,  and  his  allegiance  to  his  sovereign  is  his  first 
dut}'.  Elizabeth  will  trust  him.  She  talks  over  Mary's  case  with  him  ; 
what  they  say  no  one  knows  :  but  when  the  earl  leaves  her,  he  calls  in 
Sir  William  Davison. 

"  The  queen  desires  you  to  prepare  a  warrant  for  the  execution  of  the 
Queen  of  Scots,"  he  says. 

Sir  William  writes  it  in  secret,  though  quite  likely  his  secretary,  Wil- 
liam Brewster,  knows  what  he  is  doing,  for  Sir  William  places  implicit 
confidence  in  him.  When  it  is  ready,  Sir  William  enters  the  queen's 
apartment,  and  Elizabeth  signs  her  name  in  a  bold  hand,  as  she  is  wont 
to  do.  A  messenger  hastens  away  with  the  document ;  and  in  the  Castle 
of  Fotheringay  the  Scottish  queen,  whose  life  has  been  one  of  so  many 
vicissitudes,  who  has  seen  little  happiness,  but  much  sorrow,  meets  her  sad 
and  mournful  fate.  She  has  committed  no  crime ;  but  while  she  lives, 
the  liberties  of  England  are  in  danger  of  being  overthrown,  and  the  peo- 
ple breathe  more  freely  when  they  hear  that  she  is  dead. 


AUTOGRAPH    OF    QUKEN    ELIZABETH. 


344  THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


CHArTER  XXVII. 

THE   RETRIBUTION   THAT  FOLLOWED   CRIME. 

THE  Huguenots  of  France  are  not  exterminated  by  the  terrible  mas- 
sacre of  St.  Bartholomew ;  there  are  still  one  hundred  thousand  in 
the  kingdom.  Catherine  de'  Medici  and  the  Duke  of  Guise  are  deter- 
mined to  root  them  out,  and  the  young  king,  Henry  HI.,  is  a  pliant  tool 
in  their  hands. 

"  I  will  have  but  one  religion  in  the  State,"  is  the  edict  of  the  weak 
boy-king.  The  Huguenots  must  give  up  tlieir  religion,  or  fight  for  life, 
liberty,  and  property.  Give  uj)  they  will  not.  A  terrible  war  begins. 
Henry  of  Navarre  is  the  leader  of  the  Huguenots.  The  whole  country  is 
disturbed.  Amidst  all  the  commotion,  what  is  the  young  King  of  France 
doing  ?  He  is  down  in  the  city  of  Lyons,  buying  all  the  little  dogs,  par- 
rots, and  monkeys  he  can  find — paying  more  than  one  hundred  thousand 
crowns  for  them.  With  him  are  two  hundred  women,  and  as  many  men 
— ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  court,  who  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  eat 
and  drink,  dance  and  sing,  and  dawdle  their  time  away  ;  while  the  peo- 
ple, with  no  security  of  life  or  property,  with  no  freedom  of  thought  or 
action,  are  plundered  by  the  tax-collectors  of  their  hard  earnings,  to  main- 
tain the  worthless,  dissolute  creatures  in  all  their  mock  gentility. 

We  come  to  1588.  The  Duke  of  Guise  has  been  laying  a  plot  to  get 
rid  of  Henry  III.,  and  also  Henry  of  Navarre,  the  leader  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, who  is  heir  to  the  throne.  The  duke  is  not  content  with  being  a 
duke ;  he  must  be  king.  But  how  shall  he  do  it  ?  He  will  summon  the 
Jesuits.  He  will  manage  to  have  his  own  immediate  friends  appointed 
chief  inquisitors.  He  consults  with  the  Holy  League.  But  the  king  is 
aware  of  what  is  going  on.  He  sees  through  the  plan  of  tlie  wily  man, 
who  is  on  liis  way  from  Nancy,  a  town  in  Northern  France,  to  Paris. 

"You  must  not  enter  Paris  without  my  consent,"  is  the  oi-der  which 
the  king  sends  to  him.  What  does  the  Duke  of  Guise  care  for  that  ? 
Nothing. 

"  If  you  will  break  with  the  king,  I  will  send  you  three  hundred  thou- 


THE   RETRIBUTION   THAT   FOLLOWED   CRIME. 


3^5 


sand  crowns,  and  seven  tlionsand  soldiers,"  is  the  word  which  comes  to 
the  duke  from  Philip  11. 

The  Leaguers  are  in  Paris,  secretly  stirring  np  the  people,  distributing 
money  to  the  rabble. 

"  What  a  noble,  generous  man  the  Duke  of  Guise  mnst  be !  He  does 
not  spend  his  money  buying 
poodles  and  monkeys !"  So 
say  the  people,  as  the  coins 
drop  into  their  hands.  They 
are  ready  to  take  up  arms  for 
such  a  man  against  the  M'eak- 
minded  Henry. 

At  noon.  May  12th,  a  man 
•in  a  white  doublet,  black  cloak, 
tall,  dignified,  with  a  scar  on 
his  face,  enters  the  Gate  of  St. 
Martin.  All  Paris  is  out  to 
welcome  him.  "  Hurrah  for 
the  Duke  of  Guise!"  The 
shout  runs  along  the  streets. 
The  people  come  out  with 
their  arms,  and  the  king  flies 
in  terror  to  a  place  of  safety. 
Then  there  are  negotiations, 
and  the  weak,  vacillating  king 
comes  to  terms,  accedes  to 
all  the  duke's  demands,  pub- 
lishes an  edict  against  the  Hu- 
guenots, and  another  declaring 
that  Henry  of  Navarre  has  no 
right  to  the  throne.  The  king 
appoints  to  office  all  whom  the 
duke  says  must  be  appointed 
— the  duke  himself  being  made  lieutenant-general,  conunanding  the  army. 

Christmas  comes.    The  duke  is  master.    The  king  feels  his  degradation. 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?"     He  puts  the  question  to  one  of  his  trusty  friends. 

"  Arrest  the  duke,  and  have  him  tried." 

"  Strike  him  at  once.  He  is  planning  your  destruction.  You  never 
can  try  him  for  treason.  Strike,  and  get  rid  of  him,"  is  the  advice  of 
another. 


HENRY   III. 


346 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


Walls  have  ears ;  and  a  servant,  a  spy  of  the  duke's,  hears  it.  The 
duke  is  sitting  at  dinner,  when  a  servant  hands  him  a  note.  Thus  it 
reads :  "  The  king  intends  to  kill  you." 

The  duke  takes  a  pen  and  writes,  "  He  does  not  dare  to."  The  duke 
does  not  know,  nor  does  he  care,  who  sent  the  note,  for  he  is  conscious  of 
his  power.  To-morrow  morning  he  is  to  meet  the  king  in  council,  and  he 
will  make  new  demands  more  humiliating  to  the  king.  Morning  comes, 
and  the  duke  enters  the  council-chamber.     It  is  cold  and  chilly. 

"  Will  you  kindle  a  fire  ?" 

A  servant  lights  the  wood  upon  the  hearth,  and  the  duke  warms  him- 
self, eating,  while  doing  it,  some  plums,  which  another  servant  brings  him. 


"  WITH    WHAT    MEASURE    YE    METE,   IT    SHALL    BE    MEASURED    TO    TOU   AGAIN. 

"  The  king  would  like  to  see  you  in  his  chamber."  The  Secretary  of 
State  brings  the  message.  Now  he  will  make  his  demands.  Every  Hu- 
guenot shall  be  exterminated.  He  pulls  up  his  cloak,  and  takes  his  hat. 
Some  of  the  councillors  have  come  in.  He  bows  to  them  with  kingly 
grace,  and  passes  through  a  door.  Whip  !  whip  !  whip  !  Avhip  !  whip  ! 
Five  strokes  from  as  many  poniards.  Nine  men  have  been  standing  con- 
cealed in  the  passage-way,  and  five  of  them  have  plunged  their  weapons 
into  his  body. 

"  God  have  mercy  !"  It  is  his  only  cry.  There  he  lies,  close  by  the 
kino-'s  bed,  his  blood  flowino;  from  five  gliastly  wounds. 


THE   RETKIBUTIOX   THAT  FOLLOWED   CRLME.  347 

The  king  comes  from  an  inner  chamber.     "  Is  it  done  ?" 

"Yes." 

The  king  bends  over  the  body  and  kicks  it.  Who  was  he  tliat  stamped 
the  lieel  of  his  boot  into  the  face  of  the  dead  Coligny.  sixteen  years  ago, 
on  the  niglit  of  St.  Bartholomew?  The  Duke  of  Guise,  now  weltering 
in  his  gore,  did  not  stop  on  that  eventful  night  to  ponder  the  words  of 
Christ  concerning  retribution,  "  With  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 
measured  to  yon  again."  But  the  retributive  hour  has  come,  and  the 
words  spoken  by  that  Carpenter  of  Galilee  ai-e  not  fiction,  but  stern 
and  irreversible  fact.  The  time  has  been  long,  but  the  measure  has 
come  at  last. 

"  I  am  king."  Henry  speaks  the  words,  and  goes  to  see  his  mother, 
Catherine,  old  and  feeble  now. 

"  How  are  you  this  morning  1^ 

"  Better,"  Catherine  replies. 

"  So  am  I." 

"You  have  had  the  duke  put  out  of  the  way,  I  hear.  I  hope  the  cut- 
ting is  all  right ;  but  now  for  the  sewing."  So  the  mother  addresses  the 
son.  Thirteen  days  later,  the  grandniece  of  Leo  X.  —  the  woman  who 
poisoned  Jeanne  d'Albret,  who  planned  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew, 
who  poisoned  her  own  son  Charles,  who  has  been  accessory  to  many  other 
crimes — lies  upon  her  bed,  weak,  helpless,  with  death  staring  her  in  the 
face.  "  Blood !  blood  !  There  is  a  river  of  blood  !"  she  cries.  "  See !  see ! 
The  devils  are  after  me  !  they  are  dragging  n^e  down  to  hell." 

She  is  a  maniac.  Death  steals  on  apace.  The  withered  hands  mov6 
convulsively ;  the  once  fair  face  is  haggard  now ;  the  lips  quiver,  and  the 
breathing  ceases.  Death  has  come,  and  that  is  the  end  !  Is  it  ?  If  the 
good  which  men  do  lives  after  them,  does  the  evil  die  when  the  pulse 
ceases  its  beatings  ?  No.  A  legacy  of  blood  and  hate,  of  war  and  crime, 
is  what  Catherine  de'  Medici  bequeaths  to  France. 

Six  months  pass.  The  King  of  France  and  Henry  of  Navarre  are  at 
St.  Cloud,  with  their  armies.  The  land  is  convulsed  with  civil  war.  Paris 
is  in  the  hands  of  the  Holy  Leaguers,  who  fain  would  exterminate  e\ery 
Huguenot. 

It  is  Tuesday,  August  1st,  that  a  monk  appears  at  St,  Cloud  ;  he  has 
come  from  Paris,  with  a  message  for  the  king. 

"  You  can't  go  in,"  says  the  guard. 

"  Let  him  come  in,"  shouts  the  king  from  his  tent.  The  monk  passes 
in,  bows  low  before  the  king  to  present  a  paper.  A  poniard  flashes  in  the 
air,  and  the  monk  drives  it  to  the  hilt  into  the  king's  abdomen. 


3-i8 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


"  He  has  killed  me  !"     The  shout  is  heard  by  the  guards,  M^ho  rush  in 
in  season  to  see  the  king  falling  to  the  floor,     Jacques  Clement  stands 


JACQUES    CLEMENT    KILLING    THE    KING. 

there,  with  his  arms  outstretched,  as  if  to  make  a  crucifix  of  himself  in 
his  fanatical  hatred  of  the  king.     In  a  moment  he  is  hacked  to  pieces. 

Henry  of  Navarre  and  the  Duke  of  Sully  are  with  the  army.  A  horse- 
man rides  up  at  a  swift  pace,  bows  to  Henry,  and  whispers  in  his  ear,  and 
the  three  gallop  to  St.  Cloud.     The  king  is  dying,  but  conscious. 

"  Navarre  is  your  king  ;  recognize  him  as  the  rightful  King  of  France," 
are  the  words  that  fall  from  the  lips  of  the  wounded  sovereign. 

"  We  will." 

"  Swear  it." 

The  noblemen  who  have  gathered  round  fall  upon  their  knees,  and  lift 
their  hands  to  heaven  in  confirmation  of  their  promise.  The  dead  king 
is  borne  to  his  tomb ;  and  the  boy  born  and  nurtured  among  the  defiles 
of  the  Pyrenees,  whose  infant  lips  were  wet  with  wine  and  chafed  with 
garlic  by  a  doting  old  grandfather,  is  King  of  France  —  Henry  lY.,  the 
first  of  the  house  of  Bourbon. 

Though  Henry  IV.  has  come  to  the  throne,  the  war  is  not  yet  ended. 
The  Leaguers  are  in  possession  of  Paris,  and  the  Duke  of  Mayenne, 
youngest  brother  of  the  Duke  of  Guise,  their  leader.     The  war  widens. 


THE   RETRIBUTION  THAT  FOLLOWED   CRIME. 


m 


Queen  Elizabeth  of  England  sends  over  six  thousand  men  to  aid  Henry. 
On  March  14th  the  two  armies  meet  on  the  plain  of  Ivry,  Henry  with 
ten  thousand,  and  the  Duke  of  Mayenne  with  thirteen  thousand  men. 

"  M}'  children,"  says  the  king,  just  as  the  battle  is  beginning,  "  if  you 
lose  sight  of  your  colors,  rally  to  my  white  plume  :  you  will  always  find 
it  in  the  path  to  honor  and  glory.  The  historian  Macaulay  tells  us  about 
the  battle : 

"  The  king  is  come  to  marshal  us^  in  all  his  armor  drest, 
And  he  has  bound  a  snow-white  plume  upon  his  gallant  crest. 
He  looked  upon  his  people,  and  a  tear  was  in  his  eye ; 
He  looked  upon  the  traitors,  and  his  glance  was  stern  and  higli. 
Rigiit  graciously  he  smiled  on  us,  as  rolled  from  wing  to  wing, 
Down  all  our  line,  a  deafening  shout,  'God  save  our  lord  the  king!' 
'And  if  my  standard-bearer  fall,  as  fall  full  well  he  may, 
For  never  saw  I  promise  yet  of  such  a  bloody  fray. 
Press  where  ye  see  my  white  plume  shine,  amidst  the  ranks  of  war, 
And  be  your  oriflamme  to-day  the  helmet  of  Navarre.'  " 

The  Leaguers  are  utterly  routed.  Their  commander  is  a  fat  man ;  he 
seeks  safety  in  flight,  but  is  overtaken  and  captured.  Henry  treats  him 
kindly. 

"  Spare  the  French,"  are  his  orders  to  his  troops.  He  will  not  have  a 
Frenchman  put  to  death. 


rOR  THE  SAKE  OF  PEACE,  HE  WILL  ACKNOWLEDGE  THE  rOPI 


350  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

But  liow  shall  Ileni-y  govern  ?  He  is  a  Huguenot,  while  three-fourths 
of  the  people  of  Fi'ance  are  Catholics.  He  cares  xeij  little  for  the  forms 
of  religion ;  but  he  believes  that  every  man  should  be  allowed  to  think  for 
himself  in  religious  matters.  He  sees  that  the  country  is  torn  by  factions. 
He  would  have  the  people  united ;  and,  to  bring  about  a  union,  decides  to 
give  in  his  adhesion  to  the  Roman  Church.  Some  of  the  bigoted  Cath- 
olics say  that  he  is  a  hypocrite,  while  many  of  the  Huguenots  accuse  him 
of  being  a  traitor.  For  the  sake  of  peace,  he  acknowledges  the  Pope  as 
the  head  of  the  Church.  He  marks  out  his  course  of  action.  There  shall 
be  freedom  of  conscience  to  every  man,  and  tliere  shall  be  no  more  burn- 
ing or  hanging  of  heretics. 

The  country  has  been  drenched  in  blood  since  Beruard  Palissy,  the 
potter,  and  his  friends  began  to  think  for  themselves ;  but  at  last,  after  the 
weary  years,  the  people  may  think  for  themselves,  without  fear  of  priest 
or  Pope. 

Henry  publicly  alijures  the  Ilnguenot  faith,  and  ranks  himself  a  Cath- 
olic ;  but  on  April  13th,  1598,  in  the  old  town  of  Nantes,  he  publishes  an 
edict  guaranteeing  protection  and  toleration  to  all.  So  liberty,  like  a  ship 
at  sea,  after  breasting  the  storm  and  tempest,  sails  in  calmer  waters. 


WILLIAM  BKEWSTEU  AMD   HIS  FRIENDS.  351 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

WILLIAM   BREWSTER  AND   HIS  FRIENDS. 

ALTHOUGH  sixty  years  have  rolled  away  since  Cardinal  Wolsey 
made  the  old  manor-house  at  Scrooby  his  home,  some  of  the  old 
people  living  there  can  remember  how  he  distributed  alms  to  the  poor  on 
Sunday,  how  he  fed  the  lame  and  the  blind  from  his  kitchen-table.  It  is 
the  year  1590,  and  the  occupant  of  the  old  house  is  the  young  man,  Wil- 
liam Brewster — Sir  William  Davison's  secretary.  He  has  seen  the  hol- 
lowness  of  court  life,  and  is  dissatisfied  with  it.  He  learns  that  men  who 
will  be  great  have  no  end  of  trouble.  Elizabeth  has  made  him  one  of 
her  postmasters,  and  there  he  is,  living  a  quiet  and  peaceful  life,  looking 
after  the  mail,  and  the  post-i'iders,  and  the  travellers  who  go  by  post  from 
London  up  the  great  road  to  York. 

Great  changes  are  taking  place  in  England,  Men  are  beginning  to  be 
independent  in  thought  and  action.  Hobert  Brown,  a  zealous  minister, 
has  been  preaching  to  congregations  in  London.  Richard  Clifton  —  a 
man  with  a  long  white  beard  —  is  also  preaching  independently  of  any 
authority  from  the  bishop.  William  Brewster  believes  that  every  man 
has  the  right  to  think  for  himself;  that  neither  bishop,  pope,  king,  nor 
queen  should  control  men  in  religions  matters.  Many  of  his  neighbors  at 
Scrooby,  Austerfield,  Bawtry,  Gainsborough,  and  other  little  hamlets,  are 
of  the  same  way  of  thinking.  They  believe  in  having  a  pure  worship, 
and  object  to  the  wearing  of  gold-embroidered  vestments  by  the  bishops, 
to  bowing  before  the  altar  during  service,  and  making  the  sign  of  the 
cross  when  their  children  are  baptized.  They  hate  mummery,  and  so  stay 
away  from  church,  although  it  has  been  decreed  that  everybody  in  Eng- 
land must  attend  church,  of  which  Elizabeth  is  the  head.  If  they  do  not, 
the  bishops  will  know  why.  They  have  a  complicated  machinery  of 
courts  to  compel  everybody  to  believe  as  they  shall  direct.  Every  man 
and  woman  in  England  must  believe  in  the  Thirty -nine  Articles,  which 
have  been  decreed  by  Parliament  and  the  queen.  Commissioners  have 
been  appointed  to  inquire  about  "  heretical  opinions,"  "  seditious  books," 


352 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


aud  to  punish  all  who  shall  stay  away  from  chnrcli  on  Sunday.  They 
arrest  and  imprison  all  who  disobey  their  commands.  The  bishops  hang 
John  Copping  and  Elias  Thacker,  and  arrest.  Henry  Barrow  and  John 
Greenwood.     For  what  ?     For  not  believing  as  they  believe.     Although 


DANCING    ON    THE    GREEN. 


Archbishop  Whitgift  is  liimself  a  heretic,  he  will  not  tolerate  a  man  who 
does  not  believe  as  he  believes.  If  the  Pope  will  not  tolerate  Archbishop 
Whitgift,  he,  in  turn,  will  not  tolerate  John  Copping  and  the  rest. 

In  the  gi-eat  struggle  for  liberty  brave  men  lay  down  their  lives — 
not  on  the  battle-field,  charging  up  to  the  cannon's  mouth,  but  on  the 
scaffold,  or  else  wasting  away  in  loathsome  prisons.  John  Copping  and 
Elias  Thacker  believe  that  men  should  lead  pure  lives. 

The  English  people,  for  the  most  part,  are  a  roistering  set.  They  love 
out-door  sports,  hunting  and  fishing,  and  games — pitching  quoits,  wrestling, 
and  dancing.  They  go  into  the  green-woods  on  bright  summer  days,  and 
have  a  dance  —  men,  women,  and  children  joining  in  the  sport.  In  the 
winter  the  villagers  gather  in  a  peasant's  cabin,  and  liold  their  rustic  balls. 
They  are  rude  in  their  manners,  and  spend  much  of  their  time  in  play 
and  idleness. 

John  Copping,  and  others  like  him,  think  that  so  much  dancing,  feast- 


23 


WILLIAM   BREWSTER  AND   HIS   FRIENDS. 


355 


ing,  and  idleness  are  a  waste  of  tiirie;  that  they  arc  not  promotive  of  good 
morals.  Sunday  afternoons  are  given  to  games  and  dances.  The  good 
ministers  believe  that  Sunday  should  not  be  used  as  a  holida}',  and  they 
preach  boldly  for  a  purer  way  of  living.  The  peasants  are  not  the  only 
ones  who  need  reforming,  for  the  carpenters,  joiners,  the  tradesmen,  and 
the  well-to-do  people  spend  a  great  deal  of  time  in  the  ale-houses  over 
their  foaming  mugs  of  beer.  Archbishop  Whitgift  does  not  trouble  him- 
self about  such  things :  he  has  little  to  say  against  dancing  on  Sunday, 
or  against  their  sports  and  drinking,  or  the  drunlvenness,  and  idleness, 
and  immorality;  but  he  cannot  tolerate  a  man  who  will  not  think  as 
he  thinks.  He  looks  sharply  after  those  who  dissent  from  liis  way  of 
thinking.  For  six  years  he  keeps  Henry  Barrow  in  prison.  He  does  not 
quite  dare  to  burn  him,  for  the  people  of  England  do  not  hitend  to  have 
any  more  roasting  of  human  beings ;  but  one  morning,  before  London  is 
a§tir,  he  has  the  poor  man  taken  out  to  Tyburn,  and  speedily  put  to  death 
by  hanging.     The  same  day  he  arrests  John  Penry,  a  Welshman,  who 


ALE-DRINKERS. 


has  written  a  pamphlet  in  which  he  maintains  that  every  man  has  a  right 
to  act  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience  in  matters  pertaining  to 
religion.  Archbishop  Whitgift  cannot  permit  any  such  heresy.  On  June 
7th,  1593,  John  Penry  is  taken  out  and  hanged. 


356 


THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 


Notwithstanding  the  bishops  are  hunting  down  those  whom  they  de- 
risively call  Puritans,  it  does  not  deter  the  postmaster  at  Scrooby  and  his 
friends  from  thinking  for  themselves.  More  than  that,  Brewster  invites 
his  neighbors  to  come  to  the  old  manor-house  on  Sunday,  to  hear  a  man 
with  a  long  white  beard  —  Richard  Clifton  —  preach:  sometimes,  when 
Clifton  is  not  there,  John  Robinson  preaches.     After  the  service  Brewster 

gives    them    bread    and    beer. 

He  and  his  friends  believe  that 
any  body  of  Christian  believers 
may  be  a  church,  and  that 
the  minister  is  their  bishop. 
They  believe  that  the  churches 
organized  by  Peter,  Paul,  and 
the  other  apostles  were  just 
such  churches. 

Among  those  who  come  to 
hear  Richard  Clifton  is  a  boy 
from  Austerfield, William  Brad- 
ford. The  register  in  the  Aus- 
terfield church  contains  the 
record  of  William's  baptism : 

"William  son  of  Will"'  Bradfouith 
baptized  the  XlXth  day  of  March  Anno 
dm  1589." 

The  next  day,  after  the 
hanging  of  Penrj^  Parliament 

JA3IKS    I.  1  .  .  .  /. 

passes  a  law  imprisoning  for 
three  months  all  who  do  not  conform  to  the  Queen's  Church,  with  the 
confiscation  of  all  their  property,  and  perpetual  banishment  from  Eng- 
land. 

A  non-conforming  church  has  been  gathered  in  London  ;  but  upon  the 
passage  of  this  law  it  is  broken  up,  many  of  its  members  being  banished, 
or  else  seeking  safety  in  Holland.  The  postmaster  of  Scrooby  and  his 
friends,  being  so  far  away,  are  not  molested;  and  Sunday  after  Sunday 
they  meet  in  the  old  manor-house  for  worship. 

On  March  24th,  1603,  Elizabeth,  who  for  forty -five  years  has  been 
Qneen  of  England,  draws  her  last  breath,  and  James  of  Scotland  (who 
was  spanked  by  George  Buchanan),  through  his  descent  from  Margaret, 
who  in  lier  bridal  journey  to  Scotland  stopped  at  tlie  old  manor-house, 
becomes  King  of  England.     He  is  thirty-six  years  old.     It  is  to  be  feared 


WILLIAM   BREWSTER  AXD   HIS   FRIENDS.  357 

that  tlie  spanking  did  liiui  little  good,  for  he  is  vain,  self-willed,  hypocrit- 
ical, seltish,  and  superstitious.  lie  believes  that  wrinkled  old  women  sell 
themselves  to  the  devil  to  bewitch  the  people;  and  he  has  been  harrying 
witches  at  a  fearful  rate — hanging,  drowning,  and  burning  them.  lie  is 
not  the  only  one  who  believes  in  witches.  For  that  matter,  everybody 
believes  that  they  I'ide  about  on  broomsticks  at  night,  creeping  through 
key -holes,  and  entering  houses  to  torment  the  people.  Everybody  be- 
lieves that  witches  should  be  put  to  death.     It  is  the  spirit  of  the  age. 

There  are  several  hundred  ministers  in  England  who  desii'e  purer  ways 
in  the  Church,  and  they  present  a  petition  to  James,  asking  that  there  may 
be  a  new  order  of  things.  lie  grants  them  an  audience  at  Hampton  Court 
— it  is  not  a  hearing,  fur  when  they  begin  to  present  their  plea,  he  inter- 
rupts them  : 

"  I  will  have  one  doctrine,  one  discipline,  one  religion.  I  alone  will 
decide.  I  will  make  you  conform,  or  I  will  liarrj'  you  out  of  the  land, 
or  else  do  worse — hang  you."     The  bishops  are  delighted. 

The  king  is  greatly  pleased  with  himself.  "  I  peppered  them  sound- 
ly," he  says,  in  glee,  to  the  bishops.  He  issues  a  proclamation  requiring 
everybody  to  conform  to  the  Church  of  which  he  is  the  head.  "yVhat  shall 
the  men  and  women  who  meet  in  the  old  manor-house  at  Scrooby  do? 
They  value  life  ;  but  principle  is  worth  more  than  property  or  life.  They 
love  their  country ;  but  liberty  is  worth  more  than  country.  They  will 
sell  their  lands,  bid  good-bye  to  old  England,  and  find  a  refuge  in  Hol- 
land, where,  since  the  Spaniards  have  been  driven  out,  men  may  think 
for  themselves.  Not  as  individuals,  but  as  a  church — a  body  of  Chris- 
tian believers — will  they  go. 

Why  not  go  to  the  New  World,  beyond  the  Atlantic  ?  There  is  much 
talk  about  Virginia  just  now  —  its  delightful  climate,  its  fertile  soil,  its 
fruits  and  flowers,  and  inexhaustible  riches.  The  merchants  of  London 
are  fitting  out  a  colony  to  settle  there ;  but  the  power  of  the  bishops  will 
be  felt  there.  Nor  will  the  king  let  them  go.  "  No  Englishman  shall 
transport  himself  to  Virginia  without  a  license;"  that  is  the  king's  proc- 
lamation. He  will  not  even  permit  them  to  find  a  home  amidst  the 
wolves,  and  bears,  and  Indians.  Nor  will  he  let  tiiem  go  to  Holland.  He 
has  the  power  to  banish  them ;  but  he  will  not  let  them  go  of  their  own 
accord  into  exile. 

William  Brewster  and  his  friends  resolve  to  leave  the  country  secret- 
ly. It  is  fifty  miles  to  the  sea- coast;  but  they  will  make  their  way  to 
the  old  town  of  Boston,  and  take  a  vessel  to  Amsterdam.  Brewster  has 
been  there,  and  so  makes  all  arrangements.     A  ship-master  promises  to 


358 


THE   STOllY   OF  LIBERTY. 


take  them.  They  sell  tlieir  lands,  pack  their  goods,  and  make  their  way 
over  the  meadows  and  marshes  to  Boston.  The  land  is  so  level  that  long 
before  they  reach  the  town  they  can  see  the  tall  towers  of  St.  Botolph's 
Church  rising  above  the  horizon.  They  pass  through  the  narrow  streets, 
and  go  on  board  the  ship,  congratulating  themselves  that  soon  they  will 
be  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  bishops.  But  they  are  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment.    The  captain  of  the  vessel  is  a  knave ;  he  has  informed  the 


HOLLAND    FAKM-HOUSE. 


constable,  who  comes  with  a  lot  of  policemen,  and  marches  them  to  the 
office  of  the  magistrate,  who  thrusts  them  into  prison,  where  they  are  kept 
many  weeks,  till  he  can  hear  from  London ;  but  after  much  suffering  they 
are  allowed  to  go  at  large. 

Six  months  pass.  Brewster  resolves  to  make  another  attempt  to  reach 
Holland,  and  this  time  makes  a  bargain  with  a  Dutch  skipper  to  take  him- 
self and  friends  on  board  at  a  lonely  place  on  the  coast.  One  by  one  the 
people  leave  their  homes.  The  women  and  children  go  in  a  boat.  The 
winds  are  high,  and  they  are  tossed  about  by  tlie  waves,  suffering  from 
sea-sickness.  The  men,  carrying  heavy  packs,  make  their  way  througli  the 
marshes.     They  reach  the  appointed  place,  but  no  ship  is  in  sight     The 


^YILLIAM   BREWt5TER  AND   HIS   FRIENDS.  359 

boat  runs  into  a  creek  for  shelter,  for  those  on  board  are  in  a  misera- 
ble plight — sick,  weary,  disappointed,  disheartened,  with  no  home  behind 
them,  none  before  them,  so  far  as  they  can  see.  All  day,  all  night,  they 
lie  there.  The  morning  dawns,  and  their  hearts  are  joyful,  for  there  is 
the  ship  riding  at  anchor  off  the  shore  a  little  distance. 

The  women  and  children  have  spent  the  night  on  the  land.  The  ship's 
small  boats  come  in  and  carry  their  goods  on  board.  Some  of  the  men 
are  on  the  ship,  some  on  the  land,  when  a  troop  of  men  come  rushing  over 
the  sand-hills,  armed  with  spears  and  guns.  The  bishops'  officers  are  upon 
them.  Those  on  shore  are  seized  —  the  women  rudely  assaulted.  The 
Dutchman,  seeing  the  commotion,  and  afraid  that  his  ship  will  be  seized 
and  himself  thrown  into  prison,  hoists  the  anchor,  spreads  the  sails,  and 
steers  SLway.  It  is  a  sad  hour.  Husbands  and  wives  are  separated,  fam- 
ilies broken  up.  There  is  loud  lamentation,  for  who  knows  whether  they 
ever  will  meet  again.  William  Bradford  is  on  board  the  ship.  lie  is 
only  nineteen  years  old;  he  gives  this  account  of  the  scene:  "Pitiful  it 
was  to  see  the  heavy  care  of  these  poor  women — what  weeping  and  cry- 
ing on  every  side;  some  for  their  husbands  carried  away  in  the  ship, 
others  not  knowing  what  should  become  of  them  and  their  little  ones ; 
others  melted  in  tears,  seeing  their  poor  little  ones  hanging  about  them, 
crying  for  fear  and  quaking  with  cold." 

The  ship,  instead  of  reaching  Holland  in  a  few  hours,  is  caught  in  a 
tempest,  and  driven  nearly  to  Norwaj^  For  seven  days  and  nights  those 
on  board  see  neither  sun,  moon,  nor  stars.  Many  times  they  fear  that 
their  last  hour  has  come ;  but  after  being  tossed  about  for  fourteen  days, 
they  are  safely  landed  at  Amsterdam. 

What  shall  the  officers  do  with  the  women  and  children  ?  To  im- 
prison them  because  they  were  going  with  their  husbands  and  fathers  can- 
not be  thought  of ;  the  people  will  not  permit  it.  No  use  to  send  them 
back  to  Scrooby  and  Austerfield,  for  they  have  no  homes ;  they  can  only 
set  them  at  liberty.  King  James  will  gain  nothing  by  keeping  them  in 
England  ;  and  so,  after  many  delays,  they  are  permitted  to  make  their 
way  to  Holland,  to  join  their  husbands  and  fathers. 


360  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    STAR    OF    EMPIRE. 

A  CENTURY  nearly  lias  passed  since  Christopher  Columbus  under- 
took to  reach  the  east  by  sailing  west.  Duiing  this  period,  the 
Spaniards  have  seized  the  West  India  Islands,  conquered  Mexico  and 
Peru.  They  have  a  settlement  in  Florida,  at  St.  Augustine.  Every  ship 
sailing  to  Spain  from  the  new  Western  world  carries  silver  and  gold ;  and 
the  country  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  is  reaping  a  rich  harvest.  Trade 
and  commerce  feel  the  quickening  influence  of  the  precious  metals. 

Through  all  these  years  neither  the  Fi-ench  or  English  have  made  a 
pernianent  settlement  in  North  America.  Some  Huguenots  who  settled 
at  Port  Royal,  in  South  Carolina,  have  been  massacred  by  the  Spaniards; 
and  from  St.  Augustine  northward  there  is  no  human  habitation,  save  the 
wigwams  of  the  Indians.  It  is  the  year  1583,  when  Sir  Humphrey  Gil- 
bert, of  England,  with  authority  from  Queen  Elizabeth,  sets  sail,  with  two 
ships  and  three  barks,  on  a  voyage  of  discovery.  He  drops  anchor  on  the 
3d  of  August,  in  the  harbor  of  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  and  is  surprised 
to  find  thirty-six  French  vessels  at  anchor  there.  The  crews  are  catching 
fish,  and  drying  them  on  the  rocks.  Sir  Humphrey  informs  the  fishermen 
that  he  takes  possession  of  the  island  for  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  that  they 
must  obey  the  laws  of  England  ;  and  if  any  one  says  anything  against 
Elizabeth,  he  shall  have  his  ears  cropped,  and  lose  all  his  goods :  more, 
they  must  all  worship  in  the  way  pi-escribed  by  the  Church  of  England. 
Sir  Humphrey  grants  the  fishermen  leave  to  dry  their  fish — a  privilege 
which  they  always  have  exercised;  but  now  they  must  pay  for  the  privi- 
lege. Having  established  English  authority,  Sir  Humphrey  sets  sail  for 
England  ;  but  never  again  is  he  to  see  his  native  land  :  his  ship  goes  down 
in  a  storm  with  all  on  board  ;  but  the  vessel  commanded  by  his  half- 
brother.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  ari-ives  safely  in  port. 

The  disaster  does  not  deter  Sir  Walter  from  making  another  voyage. 
A  few  months  later  he  is  abroad  once  more,  sailing  south-west  till  he 
reaches  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  Mdiere  he  drops  anchor,  and  makes 


THE   STAR   OF   EMPIRE. 


3G1 


the  acquaintance  of  the  Indians,  M'ho  are  kind  and  liospitahle.  He  makes 
a  present  t»f  a  tin  pan  to  a  chief,  who  bores  a  liole  in  tlie  rim,  attaches 
a  string,  and  weai's  it  on  his  breast  as  an  onmnicnt  and  shiehl,  and  in 
retnrn  gives  Sir  WaUer  twenty  skins  of  wild  animals,  worth  a  crown 
apiece ;  so  that  the  Englishman  gives  away  the  tin  pan  at  good  profit. 
The  climate  is  delightfnl,  the  air  fragrant  with  flowers;  and  Sir  Walter, 
who  has  a  great  admiration  for  Queen  Elizabeth — so  great  that  he  once 
placed  his  scarlet- velvet  cloak  upon  the  mnd  for  her  to  walk  on  when 
landing  at  the  Tower — names  the  country  Virginia,  in  her  lionor. 

Sir  Walter  returns  to  England,  carrying  with  him  some  of  the  tobacco 
of  Virginia.  Smoking  is  unknown  in  England;  and  one  day  when  Sir 
Walter  is  puffing  his  Indian  pipe,  a 
servant  coming  in,  thinking  he  is  on 
fire,  dashes  a  pailful  of  water  npon 
liiin,  wetting  him  from  head  to  foot. 

The  next  year  Sir  Walter  sails 
once  more,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  and  makes  a  settlement  at  Roan- 
oke, leaving  John  White  to  govern  the 
colony.  Mrs.  Dare,  wife  of  one  of 
the  colonists,  gives  birth  to  a  daugh- 
ter, whom  she  names  Virginia  —  the 
first  child  of  English  parents  born  in 
America. 

Sir  Walter  returns  to  England,  but 
sails  again  to  Virginia  the  succeeding 
year,  to  find  the  houses  deserted  and  weeds  growing  around  them.  The 
colonists  have  disappeared,  no  one  knows  whither.  Never  are  they  heard 
from. 

On  December  19th,  IGOG,  three  small  vessels  glide  down  the  river 
Thames,  spreading  their  sails  for  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic.  The 
largest  is  of  one  hundred  tons,  the  next  largest  forty,  and  the  smallest 
twenty  tons.  There  are  one  hundred  and  five  persons  on  board  the  ves- 
sels. They  are  leaving  England  to  found  a  state  in  a  wilderness  thou- 
sands of  miles  away.  They  will  find  no  homes  awaiting  them,  no  fields 
cleared,  but  a  land  inhabited  by  savages.  Of  the  party,  four  are  carpen- 
ters, twelve  laborers,  forty-eight  gentlemen,  who  look  upon  labor  as  a  de- 
grading occupation.  They  have  an  indefinite  idea  of  what  is  before  them, 
and  vague  conceptions  of  wliat  they  will  do  in  the  land  whither  they  are 
going ;  but  somehow  they  all  expect  to  make  their  fortunes,  or  else  meet 


SIR    WALTER    KNJOYING    HIS    I'll'li. 

(From  an  Old  Print.) 


362  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

with  exciting  adventures,  M-hicli  will  pay  for  all  the  hardship  they  may  be 
called  upon  to  endure. 

Captain  IS^ewport,  who  commands  the  expedition,  has  been  in  the  Kew 
\Vorld.  lie  carried  two  crocodiles  and  a  wild-boar  to  England,  and  pre- 
sented them  to  the  king,  and  the  king  has  lent  his  influence  to  help  on 
their  enterprise  ;  merchants  have  aided  it.  One  of  the  poets  of  England 
has  addressed  an  ode  to  the  gentlemen  : 

"  You  brave,  heroic  minds, 
Worthy  your  country's  name. 
What  honor  still  pursue ; 
While  loitering  hinds 
Lurk  here  at  home  with  shame. 
Go  and  subdue. 

"And  in  the  regions  far 
Such  heroes  bring  ye  forth 
As  those  from  whom  we  came, 
And  plant  our  name 
Under  the  star 
Not  known  unto  the  North," 

One  of  the  gentlemen  is  Captain  John  Smith,  who  is  only  thirty  years 
of  age,  but  who  has  had  an  adventrn'ons  life.  He  was  born  only  a  shoi't 
distance  from  wliere  Doctor  Wicklif  lived,  in  1579.  When  lie  was  a 
school -boy,  he  had  such  a  longing  to  be  a  sailor  that  he  sold  his  books 
and  satchel  to  get  money  enougli  to  go  to  sea;  but  just  tlien  his  father 
died,  and  left  him  a  good  deal  of  money,  and  he  concluded  to  remain 
in  England  and  be  a  merchant.  He  was  a  headstrong  boy,  and  so  wild 
and  reckless  that  his  friends  were  glad  when  he  entered  the  service  of 
Lord  Willoughby,  who  sent  him  to  France  with  his  son  Peregrin.  He 
did  not  get  on  very  well  with  his  patron,  who  soon  dismissed  liim,  giv- 
ing him  money  enough  to  get  back  to  England ;  but  John,  instead  of 
going  home,  enlisted  with  the  Dutch  to  fight  the  Spaniards,  and  aided 
the  "beggars"  in  their  efforts  to  drive  Philip  out  of  the  country.  When 
at  last  he  set  sail  for  England,  he  was  shipwrecked.  Instead  of  going 
home  to  his  friends,  he  went  to  Scotland,  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
David  Hume,  who  introduced  him  to  King  James — who  was  spanked  by 
George  Buchanan.  The  king  had  nothing  for  him  to  do,  and  he  made 
his  way  back  to  England,  M'ent  into  the  woods  and  built  a  hut,  and  be- 
gan to  study  military  science,  resolving  to  be  a  general.  His  friends 
came  to  see  him  in  his  forest  home ;  but  he  could  not  stay  there.  He 
must  be  doing  something.      So  he  sails  for  Germany,  to   enlist  in  the 


'THE   STAR   OF  EMPIRE. 


363 


service  of  the  emperor,  who  is  fighting  the  Turks.  He  is  robbed  of  all 
his  money,  and  suffers  for  want  of  food ;  and  one  day  he  lies  down,  not 
caring  what  becomes  of  him;  but  a  kind-hearted  man  gives  him  food, 


7  ''^^  \y- 


^O^^'AVSU!,, 


JOHN    SMITH    RESOLVES    TO    BE    A    GENERAL. 


and  supplies  him  with  money.  This  is  in  France.  He  discovers  the 
rascal  who  robbed  him. 

"  Yon  are  the  villain  who  stole  my  purse." 

Both  draw  their  swords.  Click !  click !  click !  they  go,  till  John  has 
the  thief  at  his  mercy. 


3G4  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

"  Pay  me  my  money,  you  scamp." 

"  I  have  spent  it." 

The  fellow  begs  for  pardon,  and  John,  as  kind  as  he  is  brave,  allows 
him  to  go. 

At  Marseilles  he  takes  a  ship  for  Italy,  which  is  crowded  with  pilgrims 
on  their  way  to  Rome.  A  storm  conies  on.  The  pilgrims  count  their 
beads,  and  say  their  prayers,  while  John  calmly  looks  out  upon  the  waves 
which  every  minute  threaten  them  witli  destruction. 

"  lie  is  a  heretic — a  wicked  fellow."  So  the  pilgrims  whisper  to  each 
other. 

"He  is  a  Jonah." 

"Let  us  throw  him  overboard." 

They  gather  around  him  in  anger,  and  seize  him.  He  makes  a  brave 
fight,  but  it  is  one  against  one  hundred.  Overboard  they  throw  him  into 
the  yeasty  waves.  But  he  is  a  good  swimmer,  and  the  ship  is  not  far  from 
the  shore.  The  waves  toss  him  to  and  fro;  they  roll  over  him,  all  but 
strangle  him;  but,  weak  and  exhausted,  he  reaches  the  shore.  The  next 
day  a  ship  comes  along,  the  captain  takes  him  aboard,  and  in  a  few  days 
he  finds  liimself  at  Alexandria,  in  Egypt.  A  Venetian  vessel  sails  into 
port,  and  a  battle  ensues  between  the  two  ships,  in  which  John  makes  a 
Itrave  fight  for  his  friends,  who  capture  their  enemy's  vessels,  and  find  it 
laden  with  silks,  spices,  diamonds,  and  jewelry.  John's  share  of  the  plun- 
der amounts  to  eleven  hundred  dollars  in  money,  besides  a  box  of  jewels 
worth  a  miTch  larger  sum. 

From  Egypt  he  makes  his  way  into  Hungary,  joins  the  Austrian  army, 
and  is  made  a  captain  of  cavalry.  His  troop  is  known  as  the  "Fiery 
Legion."  The  Austrian  general.  Count  Meldritch,  is  besieging  the  fortress 
of  itegal.  One  of  the  Turkish  generals,  Turbashaw,  sends  a  challenge  into 
tlie  Austrian  camp:  "I  challenge  any  captain  of  the  besieging  army  to 
combat." 

Many  brave  men  are  i-eady  to  accept  it,  but  the  lot  falls  on  the  young 
captain  of  the  Fiery  Legion.  Tlie  fight  is  to  be  in  the  presence  of  all 
the  high-born  ladies.  The  combatants  meet  in  the  open  field,  the  Turk, 
in  a  suit  of  mail  wrought  with  gold,  the  boy-captain  in  plain  armor.  The 
Turk  has  eagle's  wings  attached  to  his  shoulder.  Three  janizaries  at- 
tend him  :  one  to  carry  his  lance,  the  others  to  walk  by  his  side,  and  do  his 
bidding. 

The  ladies  on  the  castle  walls  wave  their  mantles  as  the  Turk  rides 
proudly  forward  to  meet  his  antagonist,  and  poises  his  lance  and  rides  at 
him  full  tilt;  but  the  next  moment  the  Turk  is  rolling  upon  the  ground, 


THE   STAR   OF   EMriKE. 


3G5 


with  his  opponent's  lance  piercing-  his  brain.  A  loud  wail  goes  np  from 
the  multitude  gathered  on  the  castle  walls,  while  shouts  of  victory  rend 
the  air  from  the  Austrian  hosts. 

Another  Turkish  ireneral  will  avenirc  the  death  of  his  friend.     That 


JOHN    SMITHS    FIGHT    WITH    IHl     TDKK 


young  Englishman's  head  shall  roll  in  the  dust.  lie  sends  a  challenge. 
They  meet;  each  shivers  his  lance;  they  fire  their  pistols,  but  miss;  then 
whip  out  their  swords.  A  stroke  brings  the  Turk  to  the  ground;  another 
severs  his  head  from  his  body ;  and  then  Captain  John  challenges  any 


366 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


THREE    TURKS     HEADS. 


officer  in  tlie  Turkish  army  to  fight  him.     General  Mnlgro  accepts  the 
challenge.     The  Turk  comes  out  with  a  sword,  battle-axe,  and  pistols. 

He  swings  his  axe,  to  annihilate 
the  captain  at  a  stroke ;  but  in  an 
instant  John  runs  him  through 
with  his  sword,  and  finishes  him. 
The  wdiole  army  escorts  him  into 
camp,  amidst  shouts  of  joy,  the 
three  Turks'  lieads  being  borne 
by  three  horses.  Count  Meldi'itch 
makes  him  a  present  of  a  splendid 
horse,  a  belt  adorned  with  jew- 
els, and  a  costly  cimeter,  and  pro- 
motes him  to  be  a  major,  and  the 
emperor  makes  him  a  nobleman. 
His  coat  ot,  arms  is  three  Turks' 
heads,  and  the  motto  "  Vincere  est 
vivere.''^ 

A  few  days  later  there  is  a  battle,  and  the  captain  of  the  Fiery  Legion 
goes  down  amidst  a  heap  of  dead,  with  his  blood  oozing  from  a  ghastly 
wound.  The  Austrians  are  driven,  and  he  falls  into  the  hands  of  the 
Turks,  who,  thinking  that  he  is  a  rich  nobleman,  kindly  care  for  him,  ex- 
pecting that  his  friends  will  pay  a  large  sum  for  his  ransom.  The  pasha 
sends  his  prisoner  to  Constantinople,  as  a  present  to  his  sister.  The  girl 
sees  how  fair  he  is,  and  falls  in  love  with  him.  To  save  him  from  being 
sold,  she  sends  him  to  another  brother,  a  pasha  who  lives  in  the  Crimea, 
on  the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  asking  him  to  take  good  care  of  the  fair- 
faced  young  man ;  but  the  brother  shaves  the  captain's  head,  dresses  him 
in  sheepskins,  rivets  an  iron  collar  on  his  neck,  and  sets  him  to  threshing 
wheat. 

One  day  the  pasha  rides  out  to  see  how  his  captive  is  getting  on. 
He  gives  the  captain  a  cut  with  his  whip,  but  in  an  instant  the  flail  in 
Smith's  hands  comes  round  w^th  a  whack  upon  the  Turk's  head.  An-. 
other  blow,  and  he  is  finished.  Smith  strips  off  the  clothes  of  the 
pasha,  secretes  the  body  in  a  stack  of  wheat,  fills  a  bag  with  grain,  lays 
aside  his  sheepskin  clothes,  puts  on  the  pasha's,  mounts  the  horse,  and 
flies  like  the  wind  across  the  fields  and  pasture -lands,  reaching  the  wil- 
derness. The  iron  collar  is  still  upon  his  neck,  but  he  muflles  it  and 
rides  on,  day  after  day,  night  after  m'ght,  reaching,  after  fourteen  days 
ride,  the  Eussian  frontier.     The  military  officers  are  amazed  at  his  story, 


THE   STAR   OF   EMPIRE. 


3G) 


but  help  liim  on,  and  in  a  few  weeks  lie  surprises  Count  Meldriteh  by 
appearing  once  more  in  camp. 

When  the  war  is  over,  he  travels  through  Germany  and  France  to  the 
Mediterranean,  embarking  on  a  French  ship  for  Morocco;  but,  meeting 


UMllll  S    KSCAl'E    KKOM    SLAVKRV. 


a  Spanish  sliip,  a  battle  ensues.  The  young  captain  fights  like  a  tiger,  and 
the  Spaniards  are  conquered.  Instead  of  going  on  to  Morocco,  the  ship 
puts  back  to  port,  and,  tired  of  adventure,  Smith  makes  his  way  to  Eng- 
land ;  but  he  cannot  rest,  and  now  is  on  his  way  to  the  New  World. 


3G8  THE   STORY  OF  LIBERTY. 

King  James  lias  granted  the  colonists  the  exclusive  right  to  occupy  a 
strip  of  country  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  wide,  extending  from  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  present  State  of  Maryland  to  Cape  Fear,  The 
Government  is  to  be  a  council  and  a  governor  appointed  by  the  king. 
There  can  be  no  religion  in  the  colony  except  that  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, There  is  not  a  single  element  of  popular  liberty  in  the  charter. 
The  colonists  have  no  votes — no  voice  in  anything.  Besides  being  sub- 
ject in  all  things,  in  civil  and  religious  matters,  to  the  king,  they  are,  at 
the  same  time,  under  a  company  of  merchants  who  have  contributed  to 
the  outfit.     Liberty  is  not  a  part  of  the  caigo. 

The  winds  are  contrary,  and  the  ships  steer  southward  to  the  Canary 
Islands,  then  west  to  the  West  Indies,  then  north-west  to  the  coast  of 
Virginia.  On  April  26th,  1607,  the  vessels  enter  Chesapeake  Bay,  and 
drop  anchor  under  the  shelter  of  a  point  of  land  where  the  water  is  so 
smooth,  the  shores  so  peacef  id  and  pleasant,  that  the  colonists  call  it  Point 
Comfort ;  and  Captain  Newport  names  the  locality  Cape  Charles,  and  the 
headland  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay  Cape  Henry,  for  the  king's  two 
sons. 

The  Indians  who  inhabit  the  country  gaze  npon  the  vessels  with  won- 
der. Captain  Newport  quiets  their  fears,  and  makes  them  presents,  where- 
upon they  invite  him  to  visit  their  village,  where  they  give  him  a  feast 
of  such  luscious  oysters  as  never  w^ere  seen  in  England,  Captain  Smith 
is  sent  by  Captain  Newport  to  open  friendly  intercourse  with  the  great 
chief  of  the  Indians,  The  man  who  has  Jiad  so  many  adventures  in  the 
East  finds  the  chief  wearing  a  crown  of  deer  horns,  colored  red,  with  two 
eagles'  feathers  in  his  hair,  and  a  piece  of  copper  dangling  on  one  side  of 
his  head.  His  body  is  painted  crimson,  his  face  blue.  The  chief  receives 
him  com'teously,  smoking  a  pipe,  and  then  handing  it  to  Captain  Smith. 

The  ships  sail  up  a  noble  river,  which  Captain  Newport  names  James, 
in  honor  of  the  king.  He  comes  to  a  beautiful  island,  where  he  selects  a 
place  for  a  town,  erects  houses  and  a  fort,  and  names  it  Jamestown — the 
first  permanent  English  settlement  in  the  new  home  of  libert}'.  The  col- 
onists go  on  shore,  the  stores  ai-e  dischai-ged,  and  the  vessels  sail  away, 
leaving  the  four  carpenters,  twelve  laborers,  and  forty-eight  gentlemen  to 
lay  the  foundations  of  a  new  order  of  things  in  the  Western  world.  The 
gentlemen  are  unaccustomed  to  hardship  ;  they  are  unused  to  labor ;  nor 
have  they  come  to  work.  Labor  is  degrading.  They  are  soldiers — ad- 
venturers. The  summer  sun  blazes  in  the  heavens  like  a  fiery  furnace, 
and  they  wilt  beneath  its  fervent  heat.  Their  provisions  are  damaged  ; 
the  water  is  unwholesome.     Fever  sets  in,  and  in  a  few  days  neai'ly  every 


THE  STAR   OF   EMPIRE. 


369 


MliETING    THE    INDIANS. 

man,  excepting  the  laborers,  is  down  witli  fever.      Tlic  gentlemen  lose 
heart.     Death  makes  its  appearance;  four  die  in  a  single  night. 

The  governor,  Edward  Wingtield,  is  a  merchant  — avaricious,  selfish, 
grasping.     He  has  come  to  the  New  World  to  amass  wealth.     He  reserves 

24 


^70  THE  STORY   OF  LIBERIT. 

all  the  choice  things  for  himself — the  best  tidbits  and  liquors.  Captain 
John  Smith,  Captain  John  Ratcliffe,  and  Captain  John  Martin  —  three 
Captain  Johns — are  members  of  the  council  appointed  bj  the  king,  and 
are  so  incensed  at  Wingiield's  course  that  they  resolve  to  depose  him. 

"  You  refused  me  a  bit  of  chicken  when  I  was  sick,  nor  would  you  let 
me  have  a  drop  of  beer;  and  you  gave  me  mouldy  corn,"  is  Ratcliffe's 
accusation. 

"  You  accused  me  of  being  lazy,"  says  Martin. 

"  You  called  me  a  liar,"  shouts  Smith. 

They  seize  the  governor,  carry  him  on  board  a  small  vessel,  and  keep 
him  as  a  prisoner.     Ratcliffe  acts  as  governor. 

The  provisions  are  nearly  exhausted,  and  Captain  Smith,  with  six  men, 
goes  in  a  boat  to  purchase  corn  from  the  Indians ;  but  the  red  men,  know- 
ing the  wants  of  the  whites,  ask  a  round  price,  and  will  only  sell  a  bas- 
ketful. The  man  who  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  three  Turks  is  not  to  be 
trifled  with.  lie  orders  the  soldiers  to  fire  a  volley,  to  intimidate  the  sav- 
ages. The  guns  flash,*' and  the  Indians  flee  in  terror.  The  captain  fol- 
lows them,  and  finds  a  great  store  of  corn  ;  but  the  Indians,  seeing  that 
no  harm  has  come  to  them,  rally,  and  let  fly  their  arrows.  The  soldiers 
tire  once  more,  this  time  taking  aim,  and  three  of  the  Indians  are  killed 
or  wounded,  while  the  rest  flee  in  terror,  astounded  at  the  effect  of  the 
guns.  Captain  Smith  seizes  their  medicine,  or  idol,  knowing  that  they 
will  be  greatly  troubled  at  its  loss.  The  medicine-man  comes  to  beg  him 
to  give  it  up. 

"  Fill  the  boat  with  corn,  and  I  will  restore  it." 

The  Indian  is  glad  to  comply,  and  his  followers  bring  not  only  corn, 
but  turkeys,  ducks,  and  venison. 

Smith  ascends  the  Chickahominy  as  far  as  he  can  go  with  a  large 
boat,  and  then,  with -two  soldiers,  in  a  canoe,  goes  on  many  miles.  The 
soldiers  left  with  the  boat  qnarrel  with  the  Indians ;  one  is  killed,  the 
remainder  flee,  leaving  Smith  and  his  companions  to  whatever  fate  may 
await  them.  His  two  companions  are  killed,  and  he  is  taken  prisoner. 
His  captors  lead  him  to  their  chief.  He  is  promised  his  liberty  if  he 
will  join  in  exterminating  the  colony.  He  feigns  friendship,  but  informs 
them  that  the  colonists  have  terrible  weapons,  and  will  destroy  them  all. 
"  Send  and  see  if  it  is  not  so."  He  writes  a  note  to  the  colonists  to  fire 
their  caimon. 

The  Indians  arrive  at  Jamestown  with  the  letter,  and  are  amazed  to 
see  that  everything  happens  just  as  Smith  said  it  would.  Their  captive 
nmst  be  a  supernatural  being,  for  he  can  make  paper  talk.     They  bring 


THE   STAR   OF   EMl'IRE. 


371 


back  some  gunpowder,  which  they  intend  to   sow  in  tlie   spring,  and  so 
raise  their  own  powder. 

Captain  Smith  is  taken  before  tlie  great  cliief,  Powhatan,  who  wears  a 
dress  made  of  raccoon  skins,  with  a  crown  of  red  feathers.     lie  sits  upon 


THK    riKST    FIGHT. 


platform,  with  liis  two  daughters  by  his  side  —  the  oldest  fifteen,  the 


youngest  thirteen  years  of 


They  bring  a  bowl  of  water,  that  lie 


may  wash  his  face,  and  a  bunch  of  feathers  for  a  towel.  Then  he  has 
his  trial,  and  is  condemned  to  die.  An  Indian  rolls  a  stone  into  the  wig- 
wam, and  the  captain's  head  is  laid  upon  it.      Two  warriors  raise  their 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


POCAHONTAS    SHIELDS    HIM    FROM    THEIR    CLUBS. 


clubs  to  beat  out  his  brains.  His  time  has  come;  yet  he  does  not  trem- 
ble. The  Indians  shall  see  that  the  white  man  can  die  without  a  sign 
of  fear. 

The  youngest  girl  by  the  side  of  the  great  chief  gazes  upon  tlie  scene. 


THE   STAR  OF   EMPIRE.  373 

Iler  heart  is  in  coiniiiotion.  A  bonud,  uiid  slie  is  lending  over  liim,  sliield- 
iiig  liiiu  from  the  chibs  ready  to  descend  ii[)uii  his  skull. 

"  Do  not  kill  him  !  do  not  kill  him  !" 

The  chief  loves  his  daughter,  and  for  her  sake  spares  the  captain's 
life,  and  sends  twelve  warriors  to  conduct  him  in  safety  to  Jamestown. 
Captain  Smith  sends  back  a  handsome  present  to  the  chief  and  his  daugh- 
ter, lie  finds  the  colony  divided.  There  ai-e  forty  persons  in  all,  but 
half  of  them  have  seized  the  vessel  in  the  James,  and  are  abandoning 
the  place,  intending  to  sail  to  England. 

Captain  Smith  loads  a  cannon,  and  aims  it  at  the  vessel.  "  Return,  or 
I  will  sink  you." 

The  conspirators,  awed  by  the  command,  return  to  the  shore;  and  at 
the  last  moment  the  colony  is  saved  from  dissoluti(Ui,  Pocahontas  is  their 
friend.  She  comes  often  to  the  town,  bringing  provisions.  The  Indians 
who  come  with  her  respect  the  man  who  had  no  fear  of  death,  and  who 
can  make  paper  talk. 

"In  a  short  time  a  great  boat  filled  witli  white  people  will  come  from 
the  sea,"  he  says  to  them,  and  a  few  weeks  later  Captain  Newport  sails  up 
the  James,  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  emigrants.  Now  the  brave  man 
is  a  prophet;  he  can  tell  what  is  going  to  happen,  and  they  stand  in  fear 
of  him.  The  new-comers  are  nearly  all  "gentlemen,"  who  desjiise  lal)or, 
but  they  have  come  expecting  to  find  gold  as  plentiful  as  in  Peru,  and 
are  a  burden  rather  than  a  help. 

Captain  Smith  starts  on  a  grand  exploring  expedition — up  the  Poto- 
mac, up  Chesapeake  Bay  to  the  Susquehanna,  and  up  that  stream  till  he 
comes  to  a  tribe  of  Indians  who  use  copper  hatchets,  Avhich  they  obtain 
from  the  far-distant  north.  Upon  his  i-eturn,  he  makes  a  treaty  with  the 
Rappahaimocks,  the  chief  giving  up  his  arrows  in  token  of  friendship, 
and  Captain  Smith  hanging  strings  of  beads  around  the  necks  of  three  of 
the  women  of  the  tribe.  '  After  this  there  is  a  great  feast  and  much  dan- 
cing. From  the  Eappahannock  River  Captain  Smith  sails  for  Craney 
Island,  near  Norfolk,  where  the  Indians  attack  him  ;  but  he  fires  a  volley 
at  them,  burns  their  wigwams,  and  so  humiliates  them  that  they  bring 
four  hundred  baskets  full  of  corn  to  purchase  peace. 

At  sunset,  September  7th,  1G08,  the  party  reach  Jamestown,  after  an 
absence  of  three  months  and  a  journey  of  nearly  three  thousand  miles. 

Another  ship  arrives  with  emigrants,  among  Avhom  are  two  women — 
the  first  in  the  colony.  Two  years  have  passed  since  the  colonists  landed 
at  Jamestown ;  but  as  yet  little  has  been  done  toward  making  a  permanent 
settlement.     The  gentlemen  are  idlers,  but  Captain  Smith  compels  them 


374 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


SUBMISSION  OF  THE  KAPl'AHANNOCKS. 


to  work.  Some  of  them  are  terribly  profane,  and  lie  makes  a  law  that 
for  every  oath  they  utter  they  shall  ha\-e  a  canful  of  cold  water  poured, 
down  their  backs.  He  discovers  that  the  chief  Powhatan,  though  pro- 
fessino-  friendship,  is  conspiring  against  the  colony,  and  resolves  to  seize 
him;  but  two  worthless  fellows  flee  to  Powhatan  with  information  of  his 
intentions.  And  now  Pocahontas  comes  with  the  counter- information 
that  her  father  intends  to  kill  all  the  English.  Captain  Smith  holds  a 
parley  with  the  chief  of  the  Pamunkeys,  who  profess  to  be  friendly. 
While  he  is  talkins:  with  the  chief  in  his  wigwam,  a  soldier  rushes  in. 


THE   STAR   OF   EMPIUE.  375 

"We  are  siiiTonncled  by  a  great  crowd  of  savages,"  he  saA'S,  pale  with 
fear. 

"  Never  mind.  Look  to  your  gnns,"  is  the  quiet  reply  of  the  dauntless 
man  ;  then  seizing  the  chief  by  the  hair  with  his  left  hand,  presents  a 
pistol  to   his  head,  accuses  him   of  treachery,  threatens   to   blow  out  his 


■^<^ 


CAPTAIN    SMITH    SUBDUING    THE    CHIEF. 


376 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 


brains  if  he  does  not  kneel  and  ask  forgiveness.     The  chief  kneels,  prom- 
ises submission,  and  also  agrees  to  fill  the  captain's  boats  with  corn. 

"  If  you  do  not,  I  will  fill  them  with  tlie  dead  bodies  of  your  warriors." 
The  Indians  bring  corn  and  provisions  in  abundance,  standing  in  fear 
of  sucli  a  man. 

King  James  appoints  Lord  De  la  Ware  (Delaware)  governor,  who  sails 
from  England  with  nine  ships  and  five  hundred  emigrants.  Two  of  tlie 
ships  are  wrecked  in  the  West  Indies,  where  De  la  Ware  himself  remains 


JAMESTOWN. 


to  refit  them.  Tlie  others  reach  Jamestown.  The  emigrants  are  a  worth- 
less set  —  spendthrifts  for  the  most  part,  scapegraces,  sons  of  nobles  and 
loi-ds,  so  wild  and  reckless  that  their  fathers  are  glad  of  an  opportunity 
of  sending  them  out  of  the  country. 

Captain  Smith  has  been  in  Virginia  three  years.  Had  it  not  been  for 
him,  the  colony  would  have  perished.  He  is  terribly  burned  by  an  explo- 
sion of  gunpowder,  and  resolves  to  return  to  England.  He  bids  farewell 
to  the  colonists,  some  of  whom  are  glad  to  be  rid  of  a  man  who  has  com- 
pelled them  to  labor,  while  others  cannot  keep  back  the  tears  when  they 
remember  how  his  wisdom,  endurance,  and  bravery  more  than  once  have 


THE   STAR   OF   EMPIRE.  377 

saved  tlicin  from  destruction.  He  returns  to  England,  draws  a  map  of 
his  explorations,  wliicli  he  presents  to  King  James,  who  holds  him  in  high 
esteem. 

The  colony  numbers  five  hundred  when  he  sets  sail,  but  there  is  no 
controlling  mind,  no  government.  The  new  state  founded  on  American 
soil  in  a  few  days  is  in  anarchy.  The  idlers  eat  the  provisions  of  the  col- 
ony, but  do  no  work.  Winter  comes,  and  provisions  fail.  Fever  sets  in. 
Starvation  is  before  them.  The  Indians  see  liow  weak  they  are,  and  those 
who  go  to  the  wigwams  of  the  savages  for  food  are  cruelly  murdered. 
Spring  opens,  and  of  the  five  hundred  only  sixty  remain  ;  the  four  hun- 
dred and  more  have  perished.  The  survivors,  disheartened,  abandon  the 
colony,  embark  on  their  vessel,  and  reach  Chesapeake  Bay.  On  the  mor- 
i-ow  they  will  bid  farewell  to  the  shores  where  disaster  and  failure  have 
been  their  portion.  What  do  they  see  ?  Two  ships.  Lord  De  la  Ware 
has  obtained  new  vessels  in  the  West  Indies,  and  here  he  is  with  provi- 
sions. Sad  the  morning,  joyful  the  night.  With  fresh  courage  they  go 
back  to  Jamestown,  take  possession  of  their  old  homes,  to  begin  once  more 
the  work  of  laying  the  foundations  of  an  empire  in  the  Western  world. 


I 


378 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBEKTY. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE    "HALF-MOON." 


THE  storks  are  building  their  nests  on  the  chimney -tops  in  Amster- 
dam. The  spring  has  come  in  its  beauty.  William  Brewster  and 
his  fellow-pilgrims,  in  this  year  of  1609,  are  hard  at  work ;  but  quite  likely 
they  have  time  to  stop  for  a  few  moments,  on  this  25th  day  of  March,  to 


m 


n 


*V'X 


I   i  ijii's 


OFF    CAPK    NORTH. 


THE    "HALF-MOON. 


take  a  look  at  a  vessel,  the  Half-moon^  which  is  jnst  starting  for  a  long 
voyage,  in  searcli  of  a  new  route  to  China.  Hendrick  Hudson,  an  Eng- 
lishman, Captain  John   Smith's  friend,  is  skipper.     He  stands  upon  the 


THE    "HALF-MOON       IN    CHESAPEAKE    BAY. 


deck  issuing  his  orders.  He  has  already  been  two  voyages  to  the  North, 
sailing  amidst  the  icebergs ;  and  now  he  is  going  to  try  to  reach  China 
by  the  way  of  Nova  Zembla.  The  East  India  Company  and  the  Amster- 
dam burghers  have  fitted  out  the  ship.  The  sailors  bid  good-bye  to  their 
friends,  and  the  Half-moon  slowly  moves  away.  The  winds  are  fair,  and 
in  less  than  a  month  Captain  Hudson  is  at  Cape  North  ;  but  there  he  en- 
counters terrible  storms.  The  air  is  thick  with  mist.  Tliere  are  dense 
fogs,  and  ice-fields  block  his  way.  He  is  not  a  man,  however,  to  turn  back 
at  once  to  Amsterdam  ;  but  turns  westward,  loses  his  foremast  in  a  fear- 
ful storm,  but  reaches  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  where  the  crew  catch 
a  great  supply  of  fish,  and  on  July  17th  drops  anchor  in  Penobscot  Bay. 
There  are  tall  pines  on  the  shore,  and  the  sailors  soon  have  a  new  mast  in 
its  place.  They  traffic  with  the  Indians,  and  then  Captain  Hudson  sails 
south,  coasts  along  Cape  Cod,  and  on  August  ISth  drops  anchor  in  Ches- 
apeake Bay.  From  there  he  turns  north,  and  discovers  Delaware  Bay. 
Still  farther  north,  coasting  along  a  sandy  shore,  he  discovers  a  long,  low 
point  of  land  curved  like  a  hook,  and  names  it  Sandy  Hook.  A  little 
fartlier,  and  he  drops  anchor  at  the  mouth  of  "  the  great  North  River  of 
New  Netherlands" — the  Hudson.      The  Indians  put  out  in  their  canoes 


3S0 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


AIOON        IN    TUL    HDD- 
SON. 


from  the  shores,  come  on 
board  the  sliip.  briiig'ing  to- 
bacco, corn,  and  bear-skins, 
which  tliey  gladly  exchange 
for  kni\e3  and  trinkets. 
The  next  day  Captain  Hud- 
son sends  a  party  of  sailors 
on  shore,  where  they  find  a 
great  company  of  Indians, 
who  give  them  tobacco  and 
dried  cnrrants.  The  next 
day  Captain  Hudson  sails 
through  the  "  Narrows,''  and  finds  himself  in  a  beautiful  and  spacious  har- 
bor. He  sends  a  boat  to  the  shore ;  but  suddenly  the  Indians  let  their 
arrows  fl^',  and  John  Coleman,  one  of  the  sailors,  is  killed.  His  comrades 
bury  the  body  on  a  point  of  land,  which  they  call  Coleman's  Point. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  tlie  Half-moon  begins  her  voyage  up  the 


THE    "IIALF-MOON."  3S1 

great  river.  The  Indians,  astonished  at  the  sight,  coine  around  the  ship 
in  great  inunbers,  bringing  corn  and  tobacco,  and  making  signs  for  knives 
and  beads.  Two  days  later  the  ship  is  amidst  the  Ilighhinds,  and  the 
sailors  look  ont  upon  the  lofty  mountains  that  remind  them  of  the  Rhine. 

On  September  ISth,  Captain  Hudson  goes  ashore,  near  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Castleton,  to  visit  the  great  chief  of  the  region,  who  has  seventeen 
wives,  and  who  has  corn  and  beans  enough  to  load  three  ships  like  the 
Half-moon.  The  chief  gives  him  a  dinner  of  baked  dog,  and  a  dish  of 
pigeons,  M'hich  the  squaws  place  before  them  in  wooden  bowls  painted 
red.  The  chief  would  like  to  have  him  stay  on  shore  overnight ;  and 
when  he  discovers  that  the  captain  is  about  to  return  to  the  ship,  he  orders 
his  warriors  to  break  their  arrows  and  throw  them  into  the  fire,  to  let  him 
know  that  no  harm  shall  come  to  him.  For  supper  they  have  pumpkins, 
grapes,  and  plums. 

The  Half-moon  makes  her  way  nearly  to  Albany,  where,  finding  that 
the  ship  can  go  no  farther,  Captain  Hudson  sends  a  party  in  boats,  to  ex- 
plore the  river.  He  makes  a  feast  to  the  Indian  chiefs  on  board  the  ship, 
giving  them  brand}'.  One  drinks  so  much  that  he  becomes  intoxicated, 
and  rolls  upon  the  deck  ;  the  others,  not  knowing  what  to  make  of  it,  leap 
into  their  canoes  and  hasten  ashore ;  but  return,  bringing  presents,  and  are 
much  pleased  to  find  the  chief  has  come  to  life  again,  and  who  is  anxious 
to  stay  with  the  white  men,  who  have  such  strong  water. 

Little  does  Captain  Hudson  think  that  at  that  moment  Samuel  Cham- 
plain  is  only  a  few  miles  distant,  exploring  the  shores  of  the  lake  which 
bears  his  name,  and  that,  after  a  century  has  rolled  away,  the  great  battle 
for  supremacy  between  France  and  England  —  between  the  old  religion 
and  the  new — will  be  fiercely  waged  along  its  peacteful  shores. 

Retracing  his  course.  Captain  Hudson,  October  1st,  drops  anchor  in 
Haverstraw  Bay,  where  an  Indian,  running  his  canoe  under  the  stern  of 
the  vessel,  climbs  into  the  cabin  window,  and  steals  Captain  Hudson's 
clothes ;  but  the  mate,  seeing  him,  seizes  a  musket  and  shoots  him.  The 
Indians  on  the  ship,  amazed  at  the  lightning,  the  smoke,  and  the  roar  of 
the  gun,  leap  like  frogs  into  the  water,  and  swim  for  their  boats. 

Captain  Hudson  sends  a  boat  filled  with  sailors  to  recover  the  stolen 
goods.  One  of  the  Indians  in  the  water  lays  hold  of  the  boat  to  upset  it, 
but  a  sailor  chops  off  his  hand,  and  the  Indian  sinks  to  rise  no  more.  The 
next  day  hundreds  of  Indians  come  in  their  canoes  to  attack  the  ship,  bnt 
Captain  Hudson  brings  a  cannon  to  bear  upon  them.  There  is  a  flash,  a 
roar,  a  boat  is  smashed,  and  those  in  it  killed  or  wounded.  The  others 
flee  in  consternation  before  the  white  man's  thunder  and  lightning.    After 


382  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

a  little  while  two  canoes  filled  with  savages  put  off  from  the  shore  and  ap- 
proach the  ship  rapidly ;  but  there  comes  a  second  flash,  and  a  rattle  of 
musketry.  One  of  the  boats  is  riddled  by  the  shot,  and  the  poor  creatures 
go  down  one  by  one,  while  those  in  the  other  canoe  pull  for  the  shore. 
They  are  powerless  before  the  strangers.  The  Half -moon  reaches  the 
sea,  spreads  her  sails,  and  on  November  Tth  casts  anchor  in  Dartmouth 
harbor,  England,  from  whence  Captain  Hudson  sends  an  account  of  his 
voyage  to  Holland ;  but  King  James  will  not  permit  him  to  sail  thither. 
The  king  is  jealous  of  the  Dutch.  Henry  Hudson  is  an  Englishman,  and 
no  Englishm.an  shall  be  permitted  to  aid  them  in  making  new  discoveries 
in  ihe  Western  world. 


STRANGERS  AND  PILGRIMS. 


383 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

STRANGERS   AND   PILGRIMS. 

THOSE  poor  people  from  Scrooby  and  Austerfield,  when  they  reached 
Holland,  were  in  a  sad  condition.  Their  property  was  nearly  all  de- 
stroyed. They  found  themselves  in  a  strange  land.  They  could  not  speak 
a  word  of  the  language  of  Holland.  Tliey  found  the  country  intersected 
by  canals,  and  that  the  people  carried  their  cabbages  and  cheeses  to  market 


A    HIGHWAY    IN    HULLANU. 


by  water.  The  canals  were  the  highways.  Women,  and  children,  and 
dogs  tugged  at  the  boats.  A  boy  or  girl  and  a  dog  made  a  little  team,  a 
woman  and  a  donkey  a  big  team. 

The  fugitives  find  friends  in  Amsterdam — people  from  London  who 


384: 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


have  songlit  refuge  there.  Some  of  them  have  queer  ideas  in  regard  to 
dress,  and  say  that  no  person  should  wear  a  collar  or  a  ruff,  or  any  orna- 
ment upon  the  person,  and  are  greatly  troubled  because  Mrs.  Johnson,  their 
minister's  wife,  wears  whalebone  in  her  stays,  and  high-heeled  cork-soled 
shoes.  The  fugitives  from  Scrooby  and  Austerfield  are  not  in  a  condition 
to  indulge  in  any  superfluity  of  dress,  for  they  are  very  poor.  They  re- 
main at  Amsterdam  a  short  time,  and  then  remove  to  Leyden — the  town 
that  made  such  a  brave  resistance  to  the  Spaniards. 

William  Brewster,  who  used  to  entertain  them  in  the  old  manor-house, 
is  so  poor  that  he  has  to  teach  school  for  a  living,  and  while  teaching  he 

learns  to  set  type,  and  establishes  a 
printing-office.  William  Bradford 
becomes  a  weaver,  and  makes  fustian 
cloth.  One  man  learns  to  lay  brick ; 
another  is  a  carpenter,  another  a 
blflcksmith.  In  England  they  were 
all  farmers,  and  it  is  hard  work  for 
them,  while  learning  their  trades,  to 
keep  the  wolf  from  the  door. 

On  Sunday,  instead  of  carousing 
in  the  beer-houses  and  going  out  to 
have  a  dance  in  the  fields,  they  meet 
at  the  house  which  tliej^  have  pur- 
chased for  their  pastor,  John  Robin- 
son, which  stands  just  across  the  street 
fiom  St.  Peter's  Church,  which  has 
been  standing  there  for  five  hundred 
}ears,  and  from  the  top  of  which  the 
people  looked  with  longing  eyes  to  see 
if  the  sea  were  coming  in  to  drown 
out  the  Spaniards  when  the  Silent 
Man  cut  the  dikes.  They  sing  and 
pray,  and  listen  to  the  reading  of  the  Bible ;  and  after  John  Robinson 
has  finished  his  sermon,  they  eat  dinner  together.  They  call  themselves 
Strangers  and  Pilgrims  in  the  land,  hoping  that  ere  long  times  will  change 
in  England,  and  that  then  they  can  go  back.  They  live  in  peace  and 
quietness  with  their  Dutch  neighboi's,  who,  though  they  think  the  English 
are  odd  in  dress,  and  rather  peculiar  in  regard  to  keeping  Sunday,  yet 
like  them  because  they  are  honest  and  truthful,  and  are  very  particular 
about  paying  their  debts. 


ST.    PLfLK  &    CHOKCH. 


i 


STRANGERS  AN])   PlLGKl.MS.  385 

As  tlie  years  go  by,  tlie  Pilgrims  are  troubled  about  their  children. 
There  are  no  English  schools,  atid  they  are  too  poor  to  educate  them. 
They  are  disturbed  at  the  thought  of  their  becoming  like  the  Dutch. 
They  love  the  dear  old  land  that  gave  them  birth,  even  though  they  are 
exiles.  What  shall  they  do  ?  The  men  who  have  made  such  sacrifices 
for  liberty  talk  over  the  great  question,  and,  after  much  deliberation,  re- 
solve to  fitid  a  home  beyond  the  sea,  where  they  can  train  their  childi'en 
to  love  and  reverence  those  truths  and  principles  which  are  dearer  than 
life.  Perhaps,  now  that  they  are  out  of  England,  James  will  permit  them 
to  go.  John  Carver  and  Robert  Cushman  visit  London,  where  thev  con- 
fer with  the  merchants  who  have  aided  in  settling  the  colony  at  James- 
town. The  merchants  obtain  permission  ;  but  the  king  stipulates  that 
they  must  conform  to  all  the  articles  of  the  Church  creed.  That  thev 
will  not  do.  Having  left  all  in  England  for  the  sake  of  their  principles, 
M'ill  they  now  surrender  them  ?     Not  thej'. 

Two  years  pass,  and  the  exiles  go  on  working  at  their  trades.  They 
have,  by  their  industry,  driven  the  wolf  from  their  doors,  and  are  better- 
ing their  condition.  They  are  still  thiidving  of  the  home  in  that  far-off 
land,  when  Thomas  Weston,  a  merchant  of  London,  comes  to  see  them. 
A  new  company  of  speculators  has  been  formed  in  England,  called  the 
Plymouth  Company.  Earls  and  lords  belong  to  it,  and  they  have  induced 
James  to  give  them  all  the  land  which  Captain  John  Smith  called  Xew 
England.  They  are  anxious  to  send  out  a  colony.  William  Brewster  and 
two  others  go  to  London  to  see  what  the  adventurers,  as  the  speculators 
call  themselves,  will  do.  They  are  influential  enough  to  get  the  king  to 
promise  not  to  molest  the  Pilgrims.  An  agreement  is  made,  and  a  com- 
pany formed.  The  shares  of  the  company  are  fixed  at  fifty  dollars.  Ev- 
ery settler  sixteen  years  of  age  shall  be  considered  as  ecpial  to  one  share ; 
every  man  who  furnishes  an  outfit  worth  fifty  dollars  shall  be  entitled  to 
an  additional  share ;  children  between  ten  and  sixteen  years  of  age  shall 
be  counted  as  half  a  share.  All  the  settlers  bind  themselves  to  work  to- 
gether for  seven  years,  during  Avliich  time  all  shall  be  supported  from  the 
comuion  fund,  and  all  their  labor  shall  go  into  it.  At  the  end  of  the  seven 
years,  the  property  shall  be  divided  according  to  the  shares.  These  are 
hard  conditions.  For  seven  years  not  a  penny  of  their  earnings  can  they 
claim;  they  must  endure  all  the  hardships,  encounter  all  the  dangers,  do 
all  the  work — putting  life,  labor,  health,  on  an  equality  Avith  the  dollars 
advanced  by  Weston  and  his  fellow-speculators.  Yet,  for  the  sake  of  be- 
ing free,  for  the  sake  of  bringing  up  their  children  in  the  principles  that 
are  so  dear  to  them,  they  accept  the  conditions.     The  merchants  obtain 

25 


3S6 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBEHTY. 


two  vessels  —  the  Ifayflower,  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  tons,  and  the 
Speedivell,  of  sixty.  All  of  the  company  at  Leyden  cannot  go,  but  those 
who  can  make  preparations  for  their  departure.  They  are  to  sail  across 
the  Channel  to  Southampton,  where  once  more  they  may  look  upon  the 
green  fields  of  their  native  land. 

On  July  21st  they  meet  for  the  last  time  at  the  house  of  their  pastor, 
John  Eobinson,  who  will  stay  with  those  who  remain.  They  spend  the 
morning  in  fasting  and  prayer,  and  the  good  minister  preaches  a  solemn 


DliLFTSHAVEN. 


sermon.  After  the  fasting,  they  sit  down  to  a  frugal  feast,  and  sing  once 
more,  with  the  tears  streaming  down  their  cheeks,  the  psalms  they  used  to 
sing  in  the  manor-house  at  Scrooby,  and  which  are  sweeter  and  dearer 
than  ever,  now  that  they  are  about  to  take  leave  of  their  friends  forever. 

The  S2)eedioell  lies  at  Delftshaven,  fourteen  miles  from  Leyden.  In 
the  morning  they  go  on  board  the  canal-boats  with  their  friends,  who  ac- 
company them  to  the  ship.  Some  come  all  the  way  from  Amsterdam  to 
bid  them  farewell.  They  spend  the  night  in  conversing  with  their  friends, 
who  provide  a  feast  for  them.  The  last  hour  has  come,  the  wind  is  fair, 
and  the  captain  in  haste  to  be  away.     The  beloved  pastor  is  with  them. 


STRANGERS   AND   PILGRIMS. 


3S0 


They  kneel  upon  tlie  deck,  and  he  offers  once  more  a  prayer.  "With  tears 
upon  their  cheeks,  they  bid  each  other  farewelh  The  vessel  swings  from 
the  quuy,  the  wind  fills  the  sails.  But  there  is  joy  in  their  sorrow ;  they 
are  departing  in  obedience  to  tlieir  profoundest  convictions  of  duty.  Lit- 
tle know  they  of  what  is  before  them,  or  wliat  they  are  about  to  do.  God 
knows  what  will  come  of  it,  and  in  him  they  trust.  They  fire  a  parting 
salute  with  their  muskets  and  their  three  pieces  of  cannon. 

At  Southampton  they  join  the  Mayflower,  on  board  of  which  are  those 
who  have  come  from  England.  Some  of  them  are  from  London,  hired 
by  the  speculators.  One  is  John  Bil- 
lington,  a  graceless  fellow,  so  wild  and 
reckless  that  his  friends  are  rejoiced 
to  ship  him  to  a  distant  land.  Thom- 
as Weston  is  there.  He  wants  the 
original  plan  clianged,  so  that  the  con- 
ditions will  be  better  for  himself,  and 
of  course  harder  to  the  Pilgrims;  but 
no  change  will  they  make,  whereupon 
the  grasping  man  claps  liis  purse  in 
his  pocket,  refusing  to  discharge  an 
obligation  of  one  hundred  pounds, 
which,  according  to  the  agreement,  he 
ought  to  pay.  "  I'll  let  you  stand  on 
your  own  legs,"  he  says,  and  returns 
to  London.  To  pay  their  bills,  they  sell  what  they  sorely  need,  but  whicli 
they  can  best,  spare — eighty  firkins  of  butter.  They  will  eat  their  bread 
without  any  butter,  i-ather  than  be  beholden  to  Thomas  Weston,  or  in 
debt  to  any  man. 

All  is  ready.  They  chose  a  governor  for  each  ship,  and  one  or  two 
to  assist  him.  Let  us  not  forget  this :  they  chose  them.  They  are  not 
appointed  by  James,  or  anybody  else,  but  are  elected  by  votes.  It  is  the 
beginning  of  a  new  order  of  things.  The  Governor  of  Jamestown  holds 
his  commission  from  King  James ;  but  John  Carver,  governor  on  board 
the  Mayfloioei\  is  elected  by  tlie  peoj^le. 

The  ships  leave  the  port,  but  are  hardly  out  of  the  liarbor  when  the 
captain  of  the  Sj)e€chvell  discovers  that  the  vessel  is  leaking,  and  both 
ships  put  into  Dartmouth  for  repairs.  Two  weeks  pass,  and  tliey  sail  once 
more  ;  but  they  are  hardly  on  their  wa\'  when  the  captain  of  the  Sjpeed- 
well  declares  that  they  must  return,  or  go  to  the  bottom,  and  the  vessels 
put  into  Plymouth.     Some  of  the  Pilgrims  are  discouraged ;  but  there  are 


JIAYFLOWliR. 


390  THE   STORY   OF  LIBERTY. 

others  who  have  not  yet  lost  heart.  There  is  no  time  to  get  another  ves- 
sel, nor  have  they  the  means  to  obtain  one.  Those  who  are  still  anxious 
to  go  are  crowded  into  the  Mayjioioer,  with  such  goods  as  they  can  carry. 
They  are  one  hundred  and  two. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  the  sails  ai-e  spread  once  more,  and  tlie 
Mayflower,  with  tlie  rights  of  the  people  and  the  destiny  of  a  new  world 
for  a  cargo,  glides  out  upon  the  broad  Atlantic.  Fierce  storms  arise,  and 
the  vessel  is  tossed  like  an  egg-shell  upon  the  waves.  The  main  beam  is 
wrenched  from  its  place,  and  the  ship  is  in  danger  of  breaking  in  pieces. 
One  of  the  Pilgrims  lias  a  great  iron  screw,  which  he  brought  from  Ley- 
den — why,  he  does  not  know — but  now  it  is  just  what  they  need  ;  the 
beam  is  forced  back  into  its  place,  and  the  vessel  is  saved.  One  passen- 
ger falls  overboard,  and  is  lost;  but  a  child  is  born,  and  the  parents  name 
him  Oceanus. 

Land !  land !  The  joyful  cry  rings  through  the  ship  on  November 
19th.  There  it  is— a  long  reach  of  sandy  shore,  with  dark  forest  trees  in 
the  backijround.  They  sail  along  the  coast,  steering  south,  but  soon  find 
themselves  among  shoals.  They  dare  not  sail  in  that  direction,  and  so 
bear  north-west,  running  along  a  stiip  of  land  curved  as  one  may  curve 
his  finger,  double  a  sandy  headland,  and  on  November  21st  drop  anchor 
in  the  calm  waters  of  the  harbor  of  Cape  Cod. 

That  wild  fellow,  John  Billington,  and  the  others  from  London,  have 
been  obliged  to  behave  themselves  on  shipboard ;  but,  now  that  they  are 
about  to  land,  declare  that  they  will  do  as  they  please.  John  Carver  will 
have  no  authority  on  shore ;  they  will  be  in  the  king's  domain,  for  John 
Carver  holds  no  commission  from  the  king,  nor  have  the  Pilgrims  any 
(jharter.  The  Pilgrims  will  see  about  that.  They  are  men  who  respect 
law  and  order,  and  intend  to  have  order  in  their  community.  It  is  their 
right,  not  derived  from  the  king,  but  a  natural  right.  In  the  cabin  of 
the  ship  they  sign  their  names  to  a  solemn  covenant.     Thus  it  reads : 

"In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  We,  M'hose  names  are  underwritten, 
*  *  *  by  these  presents,  solemnly  and  mutualh*,  in  the  presence  of  God 
and  one  another,  covenant  and  combine  ourselves  together  into  a  civil 
body  politic,  for  our  better  ordering  and  preservation,  and  furtherance  of 
the  ends  aforesaid,  and  by  virtue  hereof  to  enact,  constitute,  and  form  such 
just  and  equal  laws,  ordinances,  acts,  constitutions,  and  offices,  from  time 
to  time,  as  shall  be  thought  most  meet  and  convenient  for  the  general  good 
of  the  colony,  unto  which  we  promise  all  due  submission  and  obedience." 

The  world  never  before  has  seen  such  a  paper.  That  writing  given 
in  the  green  meadows  of  Runnymede  by  John  Lackland  was  a  compact 


STRANGERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  o'.)o 

between  two  parties — the  Idng  and  the  barons ;  but  here  is  only  one  party 
— the  j)eoj)le.  The  paper  is  a  const/' tut  ion.  It  is  fundamental — a  new 
beginning — the  founding  of  a  state  on  a  written  law,  emanating  not  from 
the  king,  but  from  themselves.  John  Billington's  name  is  not  down  upon 
the  paper ;  but  tlie  majority  have  signed  it,  and  thenceforth  and  forever 
the  majority  shall  rule. 

Having  established  a  government  with  a  written  constitution,  the  Pil- 
grims organize  an  army.  It  consists  of  only  sixteen  men;  but  they  have 
a  brave  commander,  Miles  Standish,  who  has  fought  against  the  Sj)aniards 
in  Holland.  He  was  not  a  Pilgrim  originally — did  not  come  from  Scrooby, 
but  from  the  country  west  of  that  place.  He  has  a  lovely  wife.  Rose,  as 
beautiful  in  person  and  character  as  the  name  she  bears.  The  army  of 
sixteen  make  a  landing,  and  march  into  the  forest.  They  cut  down  the 
trees,  kindle  a  fire  of  cedar  wood,  and  warm  themselves  by  its  cheerful 
blaze,  and  inhale  the  fragrant  odor  of  the  w^ood,  sweet  and  refreshing  after 
their  long  confinement  on  shipboard.  It  is  Saturday,  and  when  night 
comes  all  repair  to  the  ship  to  keep  the  Sabbath  as  they  ever  have  kept  it. 
On  Monda}"  they  are  early  astir.  The  men  carry  their  pots  and  kettles  on 
shore,  the  women  land,  carrying  great  bundles  of  dirty  clothes.  It  is  their 
M-ashing  day.  While  they  rub  and  scrub  the  clothes.  Captain  Standish 
and  his  soldiers  are  standing  guard  in  the  forest,  and  the  carpenter  is  re- 
pairing their  boat.  On  Wednesday  Captain  Standish  marches  along  the 
coast  with  his  army,  each  soldier  carrying  his  gun,  sword,  and  corselet. 
They  come  upon  a  party  of  Indians,  who  flee  so  swiftly  that  the  soldiers 
cannot  overtake  them.  They  find  fertile  ])laces,  where  the  Indians  in  otlier 
days  have  planted  corn.  Tiiey  discover  an  iron  kettle,  and  other  indica- 
tions that  sailors  have  been  cast  away  upon  the  shore.  They  are  fortunate 
in  finding  a  store  of  corn,  and  bring  away  all  they  can  carry,  resolving,  if 
they  ever  find  the  owners,  to  pay  them  for  what  they  have  taken. 

On  December  Tth,  the  great  boat,  large  enough  to  carry  twenty-four 
persons,  is  ready  for  use.  The  ca])tain  of  the  Mayflower  is  ready  with  the 
long-boat,  and  they  leave  the  ship,  and  row  southward  inside,  the  cape: 
but  the  waves  are  tempestuous ;  so  they  sail  into  a  creek,  and  wait  for 
calmer  weather.  The  next  day  they  come  to  the  place  where  Captain 
Standish  discovered  the  corn,  and  find  much  more.  Captain  Jones  fills 
his  boat,  and  returns  to  the  ship.  They  discover  tM'o  wigwams,  but  the 
Indians  have  fled. 

On  Wednesday,  December  IGth,  eighteen  men  in  the  large  boat  bid 
their  friends  fai'ewell,  and  sail  along  the  shore.  Tiiey  are  bound  for  a 
harbor  across  the  bay,  twenty-four  miles"  west  of  where  the  Mayflower  is 


3'J4 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


CA1'T\IN    S1\M)ISH    A1T\CKLD    BY    TIIL    INDIANS. 


lying.  Tlie  mate  of  tlie  vessel  has  been  there  in  a  former  voyage ;  but 
the  waves  are  so  high  they  do  not  dare  to  sail  straight  across  the  bay. 
The  air  is  piercing  cold.  The  spray  dashes  over  them,  and  freezes  on 
their  clothing.  At  night  they  land,  kindle  a  fire,  eat  their  frugal  fare, 
post  their  sentinels,  and  sleep  as  best  they  can.  The  next  day  half  of  the 
party  march  through  the  woods,  and  half  creep  along  with  the  boat,  and 
rest  at  night  as  before.  The  wolves  howl  around  the  men,  who  fire  their 
guns  to  put  tlie  beasts  to  flight.  They  are  astir  before  daylight,  cooking 
their  breakfast.  Suddenly  they  hear  a  strange  cry,  and  arrows  fall  around 
them.  Captain  Standish  quickly  has  his  army  marshalled.  Crack  go  the 
muskets,  and  one  of  the  Indians  is  wounded  at  the  first  fire ;  the  rest  flee, 
carrying  away  the  wounded  man.  Captain  Standish  follows  them  far 
enough  to  let  them  know  that  they  are  not  afi-aid,  nor  in  any  way  dis- 
couraged. The  Pilgrims  gather  the  arrows,  in  order  to  send  them  to  Eng- 
land, to  let  their  friends  see  what  weapons  the  savages  use.  The  wind  is 
favorable;  they  hoist  their  sail,  and  glide  along  the  shore  northward  now; 
but  suddenly  the  wind  changes  to  north-east,  and  the  waves  come  rolling 


STRANGERS  AND   PILGRIMS. 


395 


breaks,  and  two  men,  with  their 


ill.     Wlien  they  are  highest  their  rudder 
oars,  are  liardly  able  to  steer  the  boat. 

"Be  of  good  cheer;  I  see  tlie  harbor,"  shouts  Eobert  Copping,  mate 
of  the  Mayflower. 

It  is  ahnost  night,  and  tliey  liasten  to  reach  the  liarbor  before  darkness 
comes  on.  They  hoist  the  sail ;  but  the  mast  breaks,  and  the  sail  falls  into 
the  sea,  and  the  boat  heels  over  on  one  side  :  they  are  in  danger  of  cap- 
sizing, but  gather  the  sail  on  board,  and  the  tide  carries  them  into  a  cove. 
The  breakers  are  rolling  upon  the  beach.  They  can  see  the  white  foam 
through  the  darkness  toss- 
ed high  in  the  air. 

"  The  Lord  be  merci- 
ful !  My  eyes  never  saw 
this  place  before.  We 
must  run  the  boat  ashore," 
cries  the  mate. 

But  a  sailor  sees  that 
the  boat  will  be  swamp- 
ed. "About  with  her !"  he 
shouts.  The  rowers  bend 
to  their  oars,  and  the  boat 
heads  from  the  shore. 
They  turn  a  sandy  point, 
and  find  themselves  in 
smooth  water.  Shall  they 
go  ashore  ?  They  are 
weary,  hungry,  chilled, 
and  wet  to  the  skin.  It 
will  be  twelve  hours  to 
daw'u.  Will  they  not  per- 
ish before  morning  ?  They 
will  land,  trusting,  if  In- 
dians assail  them,  to  defend  themselves.  They  reach  the  sliore,  kindle  a 
fire,  and  dry  their  clothes,  keeping  watch  the  while  for  Indians.  In  the 
morning  they  find  that  they  are  on  an  island,  which  they  name  Clark's 
Island,  for  Edward  Clark,  one  of  their  number.  The  sun  is  shining  once 
more ;  but  they  are  weak  and  exhausted.  Time  is  precious ;  but  they  will 
i-est  there  through  the  day — Saturday — and  prepare  themselves  to  keep 
the  Sabbath. 

On  Monday,  rested  and  refi'cshed,  they  sound  the  harbor,  and  find  it 


396 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


PLYMOUTH    HARBUH,    BECEMBEU,    1G20. 


safe  and  good.  Thev  pull  westward  to  the  main-land,  where  they  find 
Indian -corn  fields  and  a  river  of  fresh  water.  They  clinib  a  high  hill, 
view  the  landscape,  and  are  pleased  with  the  prospect.  Under  the  brow 
of  the  hill,  near  a  brook,  and  near  springs  of  pnre  water,  they  will  rear 
their  homes.  They  return  to  the  ship,  and  report  their  discoveries  ;  and 
the  Mayflower  spreads  her  sails  once  more,  and  glides  across  the  bay. 

Winter  has  set  in.  The  winds  are  chill,  snow  lies  upon  the  hills.  The 
spray  freezes  upon  the  shrouds  of  the  vessel.  The  scene  is  cheerless— ice- 
bound shores,  a  dense  forest,  an  nnexplored  wilderness,  before  them ;  a 
savage  foe  lurking  beneath  the  pines ;  no  homes,  no  welcome  hearth-stone ; 
forebodings  of  sickness  and  starvation. 

On  Sunday  Elder  Brewster  preaches  to  them  on  shipboard  for  the 
last  time.  On  Monday  they  examine  once  more  the  ground  where  they 
propose  to  rear  their  homes ;  and  on  Tuesday,  after  asking  God  to  direct 
them  in  all  that  they  are  about  to  do,  they  take  a  vote  as  to  where  they 
shall  build  their  houses.  It  is  the  first  town-meeting  ever  held  in  Amer- 
ica, and  the  majority  decide.  The  new  State — the  new  order  of  things — 
has  begun.     Tliat  which  the  human  race  has  struggled  for  through  all  the 


i 


STRANGERS   AND   PILGRIMS. 


39T 


ages  has  come  at  last  —  the  right  of  the  peoj)le  to  rule.  Old  George 
Buchanan,  Mary  of  Scotland's  tutor,  enunciated  the  right  to  the  world ; 
but  that  which  was  theory  to  hitu  has  become  a  fact.  Self-government 
has  begun.  Take  note  of  it,  ye  lords,  nobles,  kings,  and  emperors,  for  of 
this  beginning  there  will  come  a  new  order  of  things  in  human  affairs ! 

The  Mayflowei'  is  riding  at  anchor.  The  long-boat,  filled  with  men 
and  women,  glides  over  the  waves  to  the  shore.  They  step  from  the  boat 
to  a  rock.  The  new  State  is  in  possession  of  its  future  domain.  Jannarj' 
1st,  1621,  is  a  gloomy  day,  for  death  begins  his  ravages,  taking  one  of  the 
citizens,  Degory  Priest.  Captain  Standish  goes  out,  with  four  or  iive  sol- 
diers, to  make  explorations.  They  find  Indian  wigwams,  but  none  of  the 
savages.  The  citizens  are  hard  at  work  building  a  common  house,  in 
which  they  can  store  their  goods.  The  boat  plies  between  the  ship  and 
the  shore,  bringing  boxes,  and  bales,  and  furniture  —  chairs,  chests,  pots, 
and  pans.  They  build  their  houses  of  logs,  and  cover  them  with  thatch ; 
for  they  have  not  yet  learned  to  peel  the  bark  from  the  trees,  or  to  ri\e 
the  pines  into  shingles,  for  roofing.  On  Sunday,  January  14th,  they  bare- 
ly escape  a  terrible  disaster,  for  the  thatch  on  the  common  house  takes 
fire,  and  they  have  hard  work  to  put  it  out. 

On  the  29th  of  January,  a  great  grief  comes  to  Captain  Standish.  His 
beautiful  wife.  Rose,  has  been  fading  day  by  day.     The  hardships  have 


CHAIR    AND    CHEST, 


worn  her  dowm.     Possibly  she  pines  for  the  green  fields  and  the  cheer- 
ful homes  of  Old  England,  which  she  never  more  will  see.     Heaven  is 


398 


THE   STORY   OF  LIBERIT. 


nearer  than  the  old  home.  With  tearful  eyes  and  swelling  hearts,  the 
living  carry  her  up  to  the  burial-place  upon  the  top  of  the  hill.  This  is 
the  entry  in  their  journal,  mournful  in  its  briefness :  ''Jan.  29.  Dies  Rose, 
wife  of  Captain  Standishr 

Two  days  later  the  Pilgrims  see  two  Indians  lurking  beneath  the  pines, 


WELCOME,   ENGLISHMEN  ] 


but  they  quickly  disappear.  Tliey  see  no  other  savages  till  March  IGth, 
Avhen  they  are  greatly  surprised  to  see  an  Indian  march  boldly  into  the 
settlement,  and  to  hear  him  say,  "  Welcome,  Englishmen  ^  His  name  is 
Samoset.  He  has  been  down  the  coast  of  Maine  in  other  years,  and  has 
seen  the  Englishmen  which  have  been  in  Sir  Fernando  Gorges'  fishing 
establishment.  He  is  kindly  treated.  He  goes  away,  but  soon  returns 
with  another  Indian,  Squanto,  who  was  kidnapped  years  before  by  a  vil- 
lain named  Hunt,  who  landed  and  seized  twenty  Indians,  and  carried  them 


STRANGERS  AND   PILGRIMS. 


399 


to  Spain.  Sqnanto  has  been  in  London,  and  can  speak  English.  Samoset 
brings  three  more,  who  have  skins  for  sale.  He  informs  the  Pilgrims  that 
their  great  chief,  Massasoit,  is  near  by.  In  a  few  minntes  the  chief  makes 
his  appearance  with  sixty  Indians.  This  is  the  account  which  the  Pilgrims 
give  of  the  interview: 

"After  an  hour  the  king  comes  to  the  top  of  an  hill  over  against  ns, 
with  a  train  of  sixty  men.  We  send  Sqnanto  to  him,  who  brings  word  we 
should  send  one  to  parley  with  him.  We  send  Mr.  Edward  Winslow  to 
know  his  mind,  and  signify  that  our  governor  desires  to  see  him,  and  truck 
(trade),  and  confirm  a  peace.  Upon  this  the  king  leaves  Mr.  Winslow  in 
the  custody  of  Quadequina,  and  comes  over  the  brook  wnth  a  train  of 
twenty  men,  leaving  their  bows  and  arrows  behind  them.  Captain  Stan- 
disli  and  Master  Williamson,  with  six  musketeers,  meet  him  at  the  brook, 
where  they  salute  each  other;  conduct  him  to  a  house,  wherein  they  place 
a  green  rug  and  three  or  four  cushions;  then  instantly  comes  our  gov- 
ernor, with  drum,  trumpet,  and  musketeers.  After  salutations,  the  gov- 
ernor kissing  his  hand  and  the  king  kissing  his,  they  sit  down.  The 
governor  entertains  him  with  some  refreshments,  and  then  they  agree  ou 
a  league  of  friendship. 


1^7    Wp  Z^^^^^^r?^^^—  -^^.-^     ^\^  \      |^£^j 


massasoit's  visit  to  the  pilgrims. 


400 


THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 


THL    P\L\( 


"After  this  tlie  governor  conducts  liiin  to  the  bi-ook,  wlicre  tliey  em- 
brace and  part,  we  keeping  six  or  seven  hostages  for  our  messenger.  But 
Qiiadeqnina  coming  witli  his  troop,  we  entertain  and  convey  liini  back,  re- 
ceive our  messenger,  and  return  the  hostages." 

Massasoit's  palace  is  not  so  gorgeous  as  that  at  Hampton,  in  which 
King  James  lives:  it  is  a  hut  in  tlie  woods;  but  the  Pilgrims  soon  discover 
that  the  chief  is  a  better  friend  than  the  King  of  England.  He  is  a  true 
man,  and  the  treaty  which  he  makes  with  them  is  faithfully  kept.  James 
has  persecuted  them,  but  Massasoit  befriends  them.  Archbishop  Whit- 
gift  has  driven  them  from  their  homes,  but  Massasoit  bids  them  welcome. 
Their  Chi-istian  brothers  of  England  are  their  bitterest  foes ;  the  heathen 
savages  of  the  wilderness  their  best  friends. 

But  a  foe  whom  they  cannot  fight  is  npon  them.  Spring  comes.  The 
trailinir  arbutus  fills  the  air  with  its  fragrance;  the  birds  returning  from 


I 


STRANGERS   AND   TILGRLMS.  403 

tlie  distant  South  are  singing  in  the  forest ;  the  sun  sends  down  its  cheer- 
ful beams  upon  the  h"ttle  settlement;  but  flowers,  bird-songs,  and  the  gen- 
ial warmth  of  spring  can  never  fill  the  void  of  aching  hearts.  Fortj-six 
of  the  one  hundred  and  one  Pilgrims  have  finished  their  pilgrimage,  and 
are  at  i-est  in  the  burial-ground  on  the  top  of  the  hill.  They  level  the 
earth,  that  the  Indians  may  not  know  how  many  liave  died.  But  the 
living  have  brave  hearts.  They  go  on  with  their  work.  On  Sunday,  Wil- 
liam Brewster  preaches  in  the  common  house,  where  their  goods  are  piled. 
No  bishop  has  licensed  him  to  preach  ;  he  has  assumed  the  right  to  use 
such  gifts  as  he  may  be  endowed  with,  and  his  hearers  respect  him  as  their 
religious  teacher.  He  has  no  other  authority  over  them.  The  members 
of  the  Church  decide  all  questions  that  arise.  William  Brewster  is  their 
bishop,  yet  his  vote  counts  but  one.  Theirs  is  a  democratic  State,  and  a 
democratic  Church.  Men  are  equals.  Never  before  has  the  world  seen 
such  a  community. 

There  comes  a  sad  day.  Through  the  winter  the  Mayflower  has  been 
swinging  at  her  anchor  in  the  harbor,  but  now  she  is  about  to  depart  for 
England.  The  last  words  are  spoken,  the  sails  are  spread,  and  the  ship 
sails  away.  They  who  stand  upon  the  shore  see  it  fade  in  the  dim  dis- 
tance. The  last  tie  that  bound  them  to  their  old  home  is  severed.  AVhile 
the  vessel  remained,  they  had  the  means  of  returning;  but  now  their  des- 
tiny is  fixed.  Well  for  the  world  that  it  is  so.  Such  heroic  souls  as  they 
are  not  afraid  of  destiny,  no  matter  what  it  may  be — prosperity  or  priva- 
tion, success  or  failure,  life  or  death.  They  may  die,  but  Truth  and  Lib- 
erty are  eternal ;  for  these  they  will  live,  or,  if  God  so  will  it,  die. 

Death  takes  them  one  by  one.  On  the  very  day  that  the  Maijflower 
sails,  their  beloved  governor.  Carver,  is  seized  with  sudden  sickness,  which 
ends  in  death.  It  is  a  sore  stroke,  for  he  was  wise  and  prudent  in  council, 
brave  of  heart,  and  a  righteous  man. 

Though  the  governor  is  dead,  the  State  lives.  '•'•The  ])eo2)le  are  the 
only  legitimate  source  of  power P  George  Buchanan  wrote  it.  The 
people  elected  John  Carver,  and  the  same  people — those  that  are  left — 
elect  his  successor,  William  Bradford — he  who  was  baptized  in  the  little 
old  stone  church  in  Austerfield.  So  the  new  State  perpetuates  its  life. 
The  State  cannot  die.  A  new  truth  dawns  upon  the  world.  As  long  as 
there  is  an  individual,  there  will  be  a  State. 

At  last,  after  ages  of  persecution  and  suffering,  Liberty  has  found  her 
home.  The  seed-corn  of  a  great  empire  has  been  planted — an  empire  in 
which  the  lowest  shall  be  equal  with  the  highest ;  where  he  alone  shall  be 
king  who  does  kingly  deeds. 


4:04  THE   STORY   OF   LIBERTY. 

Tlie  contest  is  not  jet  ended  between  royal  authority  and  the  rights 
of  men,  between  priestly  prerogative  and  the  consciences  of  individuals. 
King  James  will  still  persecute  them ;  King  George  will  attempt  to  exer- 
cise arbitrary  authoritj' ;  there  will  be  persecutions,  imprisonments,  and 
banishments  for  conscience'  sake :  men  cannot  at  once  be  emancipated 
from  the  ideas  of  the  ages.  The  intolerance  and  bigotry  of  the  Old  World, 
like  noxious  weeds,  will  take  root  in  the  New,  and  many  years  must  go  by 
before  men  can  be  wholly  free. 

Tlie  little  company — there  are  only  fifty  of  them  now — have  no  code 
of  laws.  In  the  Old  World,  kings,  barons,  nobles,  archbishops,  and  bishops 
have  made  the  laws ;  but  tliese  untitled,  unlettered  men  assemble  in  town 
meeting  and  make  their  laws — each  man  voting.  No  edict  from  King 
James  could  add  to  the  validity  of  their  statutes ;  no  archbishop  or  noble 
could  frame  laws  more  wise  and  just;  no  high  constable  of  the  kingdom 
could  make  them  more  effective,  as  John  Billington  finds  out.  He  speaks 
words  disrespectful  of  the  new  governor,  and  the  citizens  condemn  him 
to  be  tied  neck  and  heels,  and  fed  on  bread  and  water  till  he  begs  pardon. 

The  new  State,  composed  of  fifty  individuals,  elects  its  governor,  fi-araes 
its  laws,  and  enforces  them.  Can  a  king  do  more  ?  So  the  subject  be- 
comes king,  ruling  himself  in  his  own  God -given  right.  From  the  be- 
ginning of  time  kings  have  assumed  the  right  to  rule;  but  in  the  wil- 
derness of  the  Western  world  the  exiles  from  Scrooby  and  Austerfield 
take  the  sceptre  into  their  own  hands,  and  inaugurate  a  new  era  in  liu- 
man  affairs. 

Liberty  is  in  her  new  home.  Strong  hands  will  subdue  the  wilderness, 
and  brave  hearts  will  establish  an  empire  extending  from  the  frozen  re- 
gions of  the  North  to  the  sunny  climes  of  the  South,  from  the  stormy 
Atlantic  to  the  peaceful  Pacific.  Througli  hardship,  suffering,  and  saci'i- 
fice  the  great  republic  of  the  Western  world  shall  rise  to  become  a  peer 
among  the  nations.  Its  starry  fiag  shall  be  the  emblem  of  the  world's 
best  hope ;  for  to  it  the  oppressed  of  all  the  eartli  shall  turn  with  longing 
eyes,  and  beneath  it  there  shall  be  peace  and  plenty,  and  the  r^ognition 
of  the  rights  of  men. 


1 


INDEX. 


Alfonzo,  Duke  of  Naples,  marriage  to  Lucretia 

Borgia,  and  assassination,  1(!9. 
Alhambra,  surrender  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella, 
92. 
Columbus's    interview   with   Ferdinand    and 
Isabella,  106. 
Alva,  Duke  of,  accompanies  Philip  II.  to  Eng- 
land, 266. 
Commands  Spanish  army  in  Holland,  330. 
Receives  a  present  from  the  Pope,  340. 
Ambassador,  of  the    Pope,  at  Worms,  requests 
Charles  V.  to  disregard  his  safe-conduct  to 
Martin  Luther,  233. 
America,  settlement  of,  360. 
Amerigo  Vespucci,  128. 
Amsterdam,  sends  provisions  to  Leyden,  331. 
Arrival  of  the  Pilgrims  in,  359. 
Hendrick  Hudson  sails  from,  379. 
People  friendly  to  the  Pilgrims,  383. 
Anjou,  Duke  of,  conspirator  at  St.  Bartholomew, 

321. 
Anne  Askew,  trial  and  death,  261,  262. 

Army  of  God,  17,  21,  27. 
Anne   of  Bohemia,  queen   of  Richard    II.,  and 
friend  of  Wicklif,  38. 
Protects  him,  41. 
Anne  of  Bretagne,  queen  of  Louis  XII.,  166. 
Antoinette  of  Bourbon  at  Field  of  Cloth  of  Gold, 

220. 
Antwerp :    Tyndal  and   Coverdale   find   refuge 

there,  while  translating  the  Bible,  271. 
Arch  of  Titus,  181. 
Archbishop  of  Bohemia  burns  Professor  Faul- 

fash's  books,  57. 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  excommunicated  by 
the  Pope,  2."). 
St.  Dunstan  appointed,  34. 
Murdered  by  insurgents,  48. 
Decides  against  marriage  of  Ilenry  VIII.  and 

Katherine  of  Aragon,  152. 
Performs  the  marriage  ceremonv,  156. 


Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  introduces  Wolsey  to 
Henry  VII.,  211. 
Thomas  Cranmer  appointed  by  Henry  VIII., 

217. 
He  will  not  be  bound  by  anything  contrary 

to  his  own  judgment,  217. 
Performs    ceremony  at    coronation    of  Anne 

Boleyn,  249. 
Pronounces  the  marriage  of  Ilenry  and  Kath- 
erine of  Aragon  illegal,  258. 
At  Westminster  Hall,  268. 
Cranmer  signs  paper  recanting  his  faith,  279. 
His  remorse  and  heroic  death,  279. 
Whitgifc  will  not  tolerate  Non- conformists, 

352. 
Sends  John  Penry  and  Ileiny  Barrow  to  the 
gallows,  355. 
Archbishop  of  Florence  at  trial  of  John  Huss, 

62. 
Archbishop  of  Paris  buys  a  Bible  of  John  Faust, 
75,  76. 
lie  accuses  Faust  of  being  in  league  with  the 

devil,  77. 
Heads  the  procession  to  meet  the  Duke  of 
Guise  on  his  return  from  the  massacre  of 
Huguenots  at  Vassy,  302. 
Archbishop  of  Treves  questions  Luther  at  Worms, 

234. 
Archbishop   of  Valencia,  Caesar   Borgia,  causes 
the  assassination  of  his  brother  Frederick, 
165. 
Drinks  the  poisoned  wine  prepared  for  the 
cardinals,  171. 
Archbishops,  number  of,  at  the  Diet  of  Worms, 

234. 
Archbishop    of  York    at    coronation    of  Anne 
Boleyn,  249. 
Owns  a  manor-house  at  Scrooby,  155. 
Arthur  put  to  death  by  John,  19. 
Arthur,  son  of  Henry  VII.,  married  to  Kathe- 
rine of  Aragon,  and  death,  152. 
Arundel,  Earl  of,  249. 
Austerfield,  Wolsev  attends  church  at,  252. 


406 


INDEX, 


Aiistei-fiekl  people  think  for  themselves,  351. 
Become  Non  -  conformists  ;  listen  to  Richard 
Clifton  and  John  Robinson  ;  resolve  to  flee 
to  Holland  secretly,  357. 
Are  thrust  into  Boston  jail,  358. 
Their  last  attempt,  and  arrival  at  Amsterdam, 
359. 
Auto-da-fe',  89. 
Avisa,  queen  of  John,  20. 

B, 

Balboa,  Vasca,  carried  on  sliipboard  in  a  cask, 
129. 
Adventures,  131,  132,  133,  134,  135. 
Discovers  the  Pacific  Ocean,  136. 
Execution,  139. 
Ballads,  lampooning  monks,  priests,  and  bishops, 

256. 
Barcelona,  116. 

Barons,  resist  John  and  organize  the  Army  of 
God,  17,  21. 
Compel  tiie  King  to  grant  the  Magna  Charta, 

22. 
Give  their  answer  to  Pope  Innocent  III.,  24, 
Offer  the  crown  to  Louis  of  France,  25. 
Barrow,  Henry,  arrested  for   Non  -  conformity, 

imprisoned  six  years,  and  executed,  355. 
Bayfield,  Thomas,  burned  to  death  for  having  a 

New  Testament,  253. 
Beaton,  Cardinal,  imprisons  George  Buchanan, 

312. 
Becket,    Thomas,    Henry  II.    humbled   at    his 

slirine,  51. 
Bedford,  Earl  of,  at  burning  of  Anne  Askew, 

262. 
"  Beggars  of  the  sea,"  332. 
Bergavenny,  Lord,  145, 
Beza,  Theodore,  302. 
Bible,  translated  by  Wicklif,  43. 
Translated  by  Tyndal  and  Coverdale,  271, 
Forbidden  to  the  people,  277. 
Translated  into  French  by  James  Lefevre,  283. 
Martin  Luther's  translation — number  of  copies 
sold,  239. 
Billington,  John,  389,  390,  393. 
Bingen,  71. 

Bishops  of  England  declare  that  the  appointment 
of  officers  of  the  Church  belongs  to  them,  50. 
Are  excommunicated  by  the  Pope ;  persuade 
Parliament  to  pass  a  law  for  forfeiture  of 
the  lands  of  those  who  recognize  the  Pope 
as  superior  to  the  King,  50. 
Their  action  the  beginning  of  liberty,  29. 
Compel  Richard  II.  to  revoke  concessions  to 
the  people,  49. 
Bishops'  Court,  141, 


Bishops  of  Riga  and  Silvius  at  Council  of  Con- 
stance, 61,  67. 
Bishop  of  London  and  Winchester  at  Anne  Bo- 

leyn's  coronation,  250, 
Bobadilla,  119, 
Bocardo  prison,  281. 
Bohemia,  war  brought  about  by  burning  of  John 

Huss,140. 
Boleyn,  Anne,  goes  to  France  with  Mary,  sister 
of  Henry  VI IL,  157. 
At  Field  of  Cloth  of  Gold,  220. 
Goes  to  London,  226. 
At  Court  of  Henry  VIII.,  241. 
At  Wolsey's  banquet,  241. 
Coronation,  249. 
Beheaded,  257. 
Bonner,  Edmund,  chaplain  to  Wolsey,  213, 
Sent  by  Henry  VIII.  to  the  Pope,  246, 
-Plunders  abbeys  and  burns  heretics,  261. 
Repulsed  in  his  efforts  against  Katherine  Parr, 

262. 
Judge  for  trial  of  heretics,  271. 
Bordeaux,  massacre  of  Huguenots  at,  325. 
Borgia,  Ctesar,  appointed  Archbishop  of  Valen- 
cia;   causes   assassination   of  his   brother 
Frederick,  165. 
Demands  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  Naples 

in  marriage,  166. 
Conspiracy  with  the  Pope  for  assassination  of 

Italian  princes,  169. 
Drinks  the  poisoned  wine  prepared  for  the 
cardinals  ;  narrowly  escapes  deatli,  171. 
Borgia,  Frederick,  eldest  son  of  Pope  Alexander 
VI.,  assassinated  by  conspiracy  organized 
by  his  brother  Cajsar,  165. 
Borgia,  Lucretia,  daughter  of  Pope  Alexander 
VI.,  marries  Lord  Sforza,  165. 
Divorced  by  the  Pope,  169. 
Marries  Alton  zo  of  Naples,  169. 
Issues  orders  to  the  Holy  Office  in  the  name 

of  the  Pope,  169. 
Marries  the  Duke  of  Ferrara,  169. 
Borgia,  Roderick,  early  years;  elected  Pope,  159, 
Imprisons  obnoxious  cardinals,  162. 
Exalts  his  children,  165. 
Proposition  to  Louis  XIL,  166. 
Death  from  drinking  poisoned  wine,  171, 
Boston,  Scrooby  Congregation  imprisoned  at, 358, 
Bothwell,  Earl,  receives    Dunbar    Castle    from 
Mary  of  Scotland,  313. 
Plans  the  murder  of  Darnley,  314. 
Married  to  Maiy,  314. 
Driven  from  the  country,  314. 
Boy  Cardinal,  John  de'  Medici,  186. 
Prisoner  to  Gaston  de  Foix,  190. 
Elected  Pope  Leo  X.,  193. 


INDEX. 


407 


liradford,  "William,  his   baptism   at   Austerfield 
Church,  356. 
Tlis  account  of  sufferings  of  the  Pilgrims,  3.59. 
Brandon,  Charles,  1.57,  220,  264. 
Brentwood,  277. 

Brewster,  William,  Secretary  to  Sir  "William  Da- 
vison, 337. 
Postmaster   at   Scrooby ;    resides   in   manor- 
house,  351. 
Believes  that  men  have  the  right  to  think  for 

themselves,  351. 
Invites  those  who  would  lead  pure  lives,  and 
who   believe    that   any  body  of  Christians 
may  be  a  church,  to  worship  in  the  manor- 
house,  351. 
Entertains  the  congregation,  356. 
Agent  for  removal  of  the  Pilgrims  to  Holland, 

358. 
Agent  for  their  removal  to  America,  385. 
Appointed  elder,  or  minister,  396,  403. 
British  Museum,  29. 
Brown,  Robert,  one  of  the  first  Non- conformist 

preachers,  351. 
Brussels,  scene  at  abdication  of  Charles  V.,  294. 
Buchanan,  George,  writes  nuptial  ode  at  mar- 
riage of  INIary  of  Scotland  to  Prancis  II., 
287. 
Mary's  tutor,  312. 
Writes  De  Jure  Regni,  314. 
Punishes  the  King  of  Scotland,  340. 
Buckingham,  Duke  of,  his  quarrel  with  Wolsey; 

imprisonment  and  death,  243. 
Bull,  John,  writes  ballads,  45. 
Burgoyne,  Lord,  250. 


Cabot,  John,  sails  from  Bristol ;  discovers  New- 
foundland and  Labrador,  123,  125. 

Cabot,  Sebastian,  explores  tlie  coast  of  North 
America,  123,  124,  127,  128. 

Cadiz,  Christopher  Columbus  carried  in  ciiains 
to,  120. 

Cajeton,  Cardinal,  209. 

Calvin,  John,  gives  opinion  on  divorce  of  Henry 
VIII.,  246. 

Campagna,  179. 

Campeggio,  Cardinal,  244. 

Canary  Islands,  100. 

Canterbury,  Archbishop  of     (See  Archbishops.) 

Canterbury  Cathedral,  25. 

Carver,  John,  385,  389. 

Catherine  de  Foix,  104. 

Catherine  de'  Medici,  birth  of,  220. 
Queen  of  France,  316. 
Children,  316. 
Plans  destruction  of  Huguenots,  316. 


Catherine  de'  Medici,  sends  peifmned  gloves  to 
Jeanne  d'Albret,  317. 
Urges  Charles  IX.  to  massacre  the  Huguenots, 

320. 
Sends  the  head  of  Coligny  to  the  Pope,  324. 
Conversation  with  Ileury  III.,  and  death,  347. 
Cato,181. 
Cavilli,  account  of  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew, 

326. 
Caxton,  William,  sets  up  printing-press,  78. 
Cecil,  Sir  Thomas,  Elizabeth's  prime -minister, 
appoints  William  Brewster  secretary  to  Sir 
William  Davison,  337. 
Changes,  242,  243. 

Charles  "V.,  King  of  Spain,  Emperor  of  Germany, 
210. 
Visit  to  Henry  VIII.,  213. 
Sails  to  Holland,  215. 
Second  meeting  with  Henry,  221. 
Wars  with  Francis,  243. 
Protests  against  divorce  of  Ileniv  VIII.  and 

Katherine,  244. 
Persuades  the  Pope  to  summon  Henry  VIII. 

to  Rome,  247. 
Brings  about  the  marriage  of  Philip  and  Mary 

Tudor,  265. 
Issues  edicts  against  heretics,  295, 
Abdication,  296. 
Life  in  retirement,  297. 
Charles  IX.,  his  weakness,  316. 

Compels  Marguerite  to  marry  Henry  of  Na- 
varre, 316. 
Scene  at  the  wedding,  318. 
Will  not  have  Coligny  harmed,  320. 
Gives  orders  for  the  massacre  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, 323. 
Tln-eatens  to  strangle  Henry  Conde',  325. 
Last  hours,  327. 
Charlotte  d'Albret,  166. 

Charron,  conspirator,  at  massacre  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew, 320. 
Chaucer,  Geoffrey,  visits   Genoa  and  Florence, 
44. 
Dedicates  a  poem  to  Anne  of  Bohemia,  44. 
Writes  "  Canterbury  Tales,"  51 . 
Monks  and  friars  plan  to  kill  him  ;  death,  53. 
Clark,  Edward,  395. 

Claude,  of  France,  at  Field  of  Cloth  of  Gold,  219. 
Clement,  Jacques,  assassinates  Henry  III.,  348. 
Cleves,  Anne  of,  marriage  with  Henry  VIII.,  257. 
Clifton,  Richard,  early  Puritan  preacher,  351. 
Coligny,  commander  of  French  army,  294. 
Attends  wedding  of  Henry  of  Navarre   and 

Marguerite,  317. 
Wounded  by  an  assassin,  318. 
Killed  in  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  323. 


408 


INDEX. 


Coligny's  head  sent  to  the  Pope,  324. 

Coleman,  John,  380. 

Coliseum,  185. 

Columbus,  Christopher.     (See  Chap.  VI.) 

Compact  of  the  Pilgrims,  390. 

Congregation  of  JScrooby  in  Holland,  383. 

Conde;  Prince  of,  302. 

Killed  at  battle  of  Jarnac,  304. 
Conde',  Henry,  324,  325. 
Constance,  Council  of,  59,  60,  61. 
Copping,  Robert,  395. 
Copping,  John,  executed  for  Non  -  comformity, 

352. 
Cornwallis,  Widow,  makes  a  pudding  for  Henry 

VIII.,  261. 
Corpus  Christi  in  Rome,  188. 
Coster,  Laurence,  discovers  a  way  to  print,  70. 
Coverdale,  aids  Tyndale  in  translation  of  the  Bi- 
ble, 271. 
Cotta,  Ursula,  174. 

Cranmer,  Thomas,  his  remark  about  the  divorce 
of  Henry  VIII.  and  Katherine,  245. 

Archbishop,  oaths,  247. 

Declares  marriage  of  Henry  and  Katherine  il- 
legal, 258. 

Recantation  and  execution,  279. 

Bill  for  his  burning,  280. 
Cromwell,  Thomas,  213. 
Crown  of  Germany,  210. 
Crusaders,  19. 
Cuba  discovered,  114. 
Cushman,  Robert,  385. 

D. 

Darnley,  Lord,  marries  Mary  of  Scotland,  312. 

His  life  and  death,  313,  314. 
Davison,  Sir  William,  writes  warrant  for  execu- 
tion of  Mary  of  Scotland,  343. 
Sent  by  Elizabeth  to  aid  people  of  Holland,  337. 
Dean    of  Pamtsburg,  leads   a   scandalous   life, 
256. 
Dean  of  St.  Paul's,  142. 
Degory,  Piiest,  397. 
De  la  Ware,  governor  of  Virginia,  376. 

Arrival  at  Jamestown,  377. 
Delftshaven,  Pilgrims,  embarkation  from,  385. 
Doctors  of  Oxford,  Paris,  Toulon,  Angiers,  and 
Orleans    on    divorce   of   Henry  VIII.  and 
Katherine,  246. 
Douay,  Jesuits  go  to  England  from,  341.  ^ 
Douglas,  Lord    and   Lady,  Mary   of  Scotland 

placed  in  their  custody,  314. 
Druids,  1 80. 

Dudley,  Edmund,  lawyer  to  Henry  VII.,  144. 
Duke  Eric,  of  Brunswick,  sends  Martin  Luther 
a  tankard  of  beer,  237. 


Duke  of  Bavaria  at  Council  of  Constance,  67. 
Duke  of  Guise,  part  played  in  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  321. 
At  assassination  of  Coligny,  323. 
Plot  to  get  rid  of  Henry  III.,  344. 
Enters  Paris  in  opposition  to  the  order  of  the 
King ;   assassination,  345. 
Dumbarton  ;  battle  between  nobles  of  Scotland, 
representing  the  Parliament,  and  those  ad- 
hering to  Mary,  315. 
Diirer,  Albert,  painter,  friend  of  Martin  Luther, 
240. 


Edict  of  Mary,  268. 

Edicts,  Charles  V.,  against  heretics,  295,  296. 
Edric,  fisherman,  story  of,  145. 
Edward   of  England,  son  of  Henry  VIII.  and 
Jane  Seymour,  birth,  257. 
Age  at  Henry's  death,  262. 
Death,  2G4. 
Egmont,  Count,  sent  to  England  by  Charles  V. 
to  propose  marriage   between    Philip   and 
Mary  Tudor,  265. 
Elizabeth  of  England,  birth,  251. 

Proclaimed  Queen  ;  joy  of  the  people,  298. 
The  journey  from  Hatfield  to  London  ;  her 

coronation ;  presented  with  a  Bible,  299. 
Received  an  offer  of  marriage  from  Philip ; 
receives  a  like  offer  from  the  King  of  Swe- 
den ;  her  favorites  ;  selects  Sir  William  Ce- 
cil   as    prime  -  minister  ;    imprisons    Mary 
Grey  for  marrying  contrary  to  her  wishes, 
300. 
Hesitation  to  sign  warrant  for  Mary  of  Scot- 
land's execution,  342. 
Her  death,  356. 
Empson,  Richard,  lawyer  to  Henry  VII.,  144. 
Encisco,  Martin,  and  Balboa,  129. 
Enlightenment  of  Germany,  209. 
Erasmus,    Doctor,  visits   Walsingham     Abbey, 
142. 
Writes  a  book,  143. 
Talks  with  Frederick  of  Saxony,  229. 
Thomas  Bilney  reads  his  Latin  translation  of 
the  New  Testament,  254. 

Earl   of,  at  Anne  Boleyn's  coronation, 
250. 


Faber.  Peter,  member  of  Society  of  Jesus,  222. 
Faulfash,  Professor,  comes  from  Bohemia  with 
Anne  ;  listens  to  Wicklif,  38. 

Preaches  Wicklif 's  doctrine  in  Bohemia,  55. 

What  he  believed,  56. 

Denounced  by  the  priests,  56. 


INDEX. 


409 


Faiilfash  converts  John  Huss,  56. 

His  books  burned,  57. 
Faust,  John,  supplies   Guttenberg  with  money, 
72. 
Sells  Bibles  in  Taris,  7.'5. 
Accused  of  being  in  league  with  the  devil,  77. 
Ferdinand  of  Ai'agon,  his  journey  toValladolid,80. 
Marriage  with  Isabella,  80. 
Joins  with  Isabella  in  establishing  the  Inqui- 
sition, 85. 
His  efforts  to  root  out  heresy,  90. 
Drives  the  Moors  from  Spain,  90. 
Issues  a  proclamation   ordering  the  Jews  to 
become  Christians  or  leave  the  country,  93. 
Becomes  rich  througli  the  spoliations  of  the 

Jews,  94. 
Breaks  his  word  to  the  Moors,  and  expels  them 

from  Spain,  95. 
Plans  to  seize  the  kingdom  of  Navarre,  104. 
Summons  a  council  of  doctors  to  decide  upon 

the  project  of  Christopher  Columbus,  104. 
Declines  to  aid  Columbus,  106. 
Consents  at  last,  107. 
Confers  honors  upon  him,  11 6. 
Appoints    Columbus   Governor    of  the    Xew 

World,  II 9. 
Strikes  off  Columbus's  chains,  120. 
Ferdinand,  Archduke,  brotlier  of  Cliarles  V.,  at 

the  Diet  of  Worms,  234, 
Fernando  de  Talavera,  confessor  to  Isabella,  90. 
Field  of  Cloth  of  Gold,  215,216. 
Fish-dressing  and  fishermen,  129. 
Fisher,  Bishop,  will  not  take  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  Elizabeth,  259. 
Fitzwalter,  General,  commands    the  Army    of 

God,  1 7. 
Fotheringay  Castle,  scene  of  ^Mary's  execution, 

343. 
Francis  I.  of  France  desires  to  be  elected  Em- 
peror of  Germany,  210. 
Sends  ambassadors,  and  makes  presents  to  the 

Electors,  210. 
Pope  Leo  X.  decides  against  him,  210. 
.     Determines  to  be  revenged,  210. 
Seeks  friendship  of  Henry  VIII.,  216. 
Builds  a  gorgeous  pavilion  at  the  Field  of  Cloth 

of  Gold,  216. 
Personal  appearance,  218. 
Noblemen  in  Iiis  train,  220. 
Sends  an  army  to  drive  Charles  V.  out  of  Na- 
varre, 222. 
Marches  his  army  across  the  Alps  to  attack 

Milan,  226. 
Carries  on  a  war  for  twelve  years  ;  is  defeated 
at  Pavia ;    taken  prisoner ;    humiliated  bv 
Charles  v.,  243. 


Francis  II.  of  France,  marriage  with   Mary  of 
Scotland,  287. 

Jjccomes  King  upon  death  of  his  father,  Hen- 
ry II.,  who  was  killed  in  a  tournament  with 
the  Duke  of  Montgomery  of  Scotland,  288. 

Is  a  spendthrift,  288. 

Hangs  tiiose  whom  he  owes,  291. 

Persecutes  the  Huguenots,  291. 

His  sudden  death,  292. 
Frederick  of  Saxony,  talks  with  Erasmus,  229. 

The  thought  that  came  to  him,  and  its  con- 
nection with  the  progress  of  liberty,  239. 

G. 

Gainsborough,  Richard  Clifton  preaches  at,  351. 

Galileo,  110. 

"Game  of  Chess,"  first  book  printed  in  England, 

78. 
Gardiner,  Stephen,  Secretary  to  Cardinal  Wol- 
sey,  245. 
Dines  with  Thomas  Cranmer,  245. 
Sent  by  Henry  VIII.  with  Cranmer  and  Bon- 
ner to  argue  his  divorce  from  Katherine  be- 
fore the  Pope,  246. 
Tears  down  abbeys  and  burns  heretics,  261. 
Lays  a  plot  against  Katherine  Parr;    is   re- 
pulsed by  Henry  VIII.,  262. 
Sees  that  it  will  not  do  for  Mary  to  cut  off 

Elizabeth's  head,  26G. 
Lord  High  Chancellor,  269. 
Presents  the  petition  of  the  Pope's  legatee, 

269. 
Establishes  a  court  for  the  trial  of  heretics, 

270. 
Imprisons  Bishop  Hooper,  271. 
Condemns  Bishop  Hooper  and  John  Rogers  to 

be  burned,  271. 
His  persecution  of  heretics  adds  to  their  num- 
ber, 275. 
Garter,  Knights  of  the,  268. 
Gaston  de  Foix  defeats  Pope  Julius  II.  at  Ra- 
venna, and  takes  the  Boy  Cardinal,  after- 
ward Leo  X.,  prisoner,  190. 
Geoffrey,  son  of  John  of  England,  19. 
Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey,  sails  on  a  voyage  of  dis- 
covery ;  takes  possession  of  Newfoimdland ; 
establishes  English  authority;  his  ship  foun- 
ders at  sea,  360. 
Goodwin,  Bishop,  judge    of  the    court   for   the 

trial  of  heretics,  271. 
Gorges,  Fernando,  makes  a  settlement  in  Maine, 

398. 
Granada,  City  of,  92. 
Gray,  Thomas,  "Elegy,"  27. 
Greenwood,  John,  imprisoned  for  Non-conform- 
ity, 352. 


410 


INDEX. 


Grey,  Jane,  daughter  of  Mary,  sister   of  Henry 
VIII.,  and    Charles    Brandon,  proclaimed 
Queen,  264. 
Put  to  death  by  Mary  Tudor,  2G5. 
Grey,  Mary,  and  Iier  husband  put  in  prison  by 

Elizabeth,  300. 
Guilford,  Sir  Henry,  218. 
Guise,  Francis,  Duke,  at  Field  of  Cloth  of  Gold, 

220. 
Guise,  Francis,  Duke  (2),  son  of  Francis,  takes 

Calais  from  Mary,  220,  298. 
Guise,  Henry,  Duke,  prime-minister   of  France, 
302. 
Massacres  Huguenots  at  Vassy,  302. 
Plans  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  316. 
Assembles  Catholic  chiefs  in  Paris,  317. 
Holds  conference  in  the  Louvre,  319. 
Fears  the  Huguenots  will  escape,  321. 
Takes  part  in  Coligny's  assassination,  323. 
Receives  a  message  from  the  Pope  to  kill  all 

heretics,  310. 
Sends  agents  to  stir  up  a  rebellion  in  England 

against  Elizabeth,  340. 
Lays  a  plot  to  get  rid  of  Henry  IIL,  314. 
Enters    Paris    against   the   command    of  the 

King,  344. 
AVelcomed  by  the  populace,  345. 
Assassinated  by  order  of  the  King,  346. 
Guttcnburg,  J. ,  apprentice  to  Laurence  Coster,  71. 
Makes  metal  types,  72. 
Aided  by  John  Faust,  72. 
Prints  his  first  book,  73. 

H. 

Hadleigh  Church,  275. 
Hans  Holbein,  205,  206. 
Hans  Sachs,  206. 
Hastings,  battle  of,  23. 
Hatfield,  299. 
Hayti  discovered,  115. 

Henry  VIL  consults  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbu- 
ry about  Henry  VIIL's  marriage  to  Kathe- 
rine  of  Aragon,  his  son  Arthur's  widow,  152. 

Raises  an  objection  to  the  marriage,  155. 

Makes  Thomas  Wolsey  a  dean,  211. 

Extorts  money  from  his  subjects,  144, 145. 

Establishes  the  Star-chamber,  144. 

His  lawyers,  144. 

Builds  a  chapel  in  Westminster,  151. 

Marries  his  daughter  Margaret  to  James  of 
Scotland,  155. 

Death,  156. 
Henry  Vin.,  betrothed  to  Katherine  of  Aragon, 
his  sister-in-law,  152. 

His  objecticms  to  the  match,  153. 

Coronation,  156. 


Henry  VIII.,  bis  marriage,  157. 

Compels  his  sister  Mary  to  niarrv  Louis  XII., 

157. 
Sees  Anne  Boleyn,  157. 
Meets  Charles  V.  at  Dover,  goes  with  him  to 

Canterbury,  210. 
Selects  Wolsey  as  his  prime-minister,  211. 
Holds  a  tournament  at  Field  of  Cloth  of  Gold, 

216. 
Meets  Anne  Boleyn  once  more,  220. 
Has  a  second  interview  with  Charles  V.,  221. 
Receives  Anne  Boleyn  at  court,  226. 
Writes  a  book  against  Martin  Luther,  227. 
Kisses  Anne  Boleyn  at  Wolsey's  banquet,  241. 
Receives  title  of  Defender  of  the  Faith,  242. 
Executes  Duke  of  Buckingham,  243. 
Plans  to  obtain  a  divorce  from  Katherine  of 

Aragon,  244,  245. 
Obtains  opinions  of  learned  doctors,  246. 
Sends  ambassadors  to  the  Pope,  246. 
Summoned  to  give  an  account  of  himself  to 

the  Pope,  247. 
Informs  the  Pope  that  he  is  a  sovereign  prince, 

247. 
Appoints  Cranmer  Archbishop  of  Canterburv, 

247. 
Secures  a  divorce  from  the  Bishops'  Court,  248. 
Married  to  Anne  Boleyn,  248. 
Provides  a  grand  pageant  in  honor  of  Anne, 

248,  249. 
Deposes  Cardinal  Wolsey,  251. 
Appoints  Sir  Thomas  More  Lord  Chancellor, 

353. 
Marriages,  divorces,  and    executions    of  his 

wives,  257. 
Sends  Sir  Thomas  More  to  the  block,  259. 
Tears  down  tlie  monasteries  and  abbeys,  261. 
Persecutes    Catholics    and    Non  -  conformists 

alike,  261. 
Repulses  Stephen  Gardiner,  262. 
Orders  the  Bible  to  be  placed  in  the  churches, 

262. 
Makes  his  will ;  death,  263. 
Henry  of  Navarre,  birth  of  his  grandson,  286. 
Gives  the  babe  wine  and  garlic,  287. 
Henry   II.  of  France,  Francis  I.,  and  Henry 

VIIL  at  Field  of  Cloth  of  Gold;  talk  of 

his  betrothal  to  Mary  Tudor,  220. 
Married  to  Catherine  de'  Medici,  220. 
Killed   in   a   tournament  with  the  Duke   of 

Montgomery,  288. 
Henry  III.  of  France,  weakness  of  his  character, 

dissolute  life  ;  orders  the  Duke  of  Guise  not 

to  enter  Paris,  344. 
Assassination  of,  348. 
Henry  IV.  of  France,  birth  of,  286,  287. 


INDKX. 


411 


Henry  IV. 's  answer  to  the  King  of  France,  288. 

Attends  school  in  Paris,  803. 

Escapes  with  his  motiier,  303. 

In  the  battle  of  Janiac,  304. 

Made  King  after  the  assassination  of  Henry 
III.,  348. 

At  tlie  battle  of  Ivry,  349. 

Becomes  a  Catholic,  350. 
Ilispaniola  discovered,  115. 
Hochstetter,  James,  calls  for  the  burning  of  Mar- 
tin Luther,  205. 
Holland,  lieretics  put  to  death  in,  329. 
Holy  Office  of  the  Inquisition,  rules  of,  83,  89. 

Instruments  of  torture,  83,  84,  85. 
Hooper,  Bishop  of  Gloucester,  executed  as  a  her- 
etic, 271,  272,  273,  274. 
Howard,  Earl,  Admiral  of  the  English  Navy,  343. 
Howard,  Katherine,  marriage  to  Henry  VIII.  ; 

execution,  257. 
Hubert  de  Burgh,  Prince  Arthur's  jailer,  20. 
Hudson,  Hendrick,  voyage  to  America,  379,  380, 

381,  382. 
Huguenots,  origin  of  the  name,  285. 

Boasted  to  death,  292. 

Massacred  at  Vassy,  302. 

Massacred  at  Nimes,  303. 

Massacred  at  St.  Bartholomew,  383,  384,  385. 
Hunter,  William,  put  to  death  for  reading  the 

Bible,  277,  278,  279. 
IIuss,  John.     (See  Chap.  III.) 


Ignorance  of  the  people,  35. 
Indians  enslaved  by  Spaniards,  129. 
Indulgences,  sale  of,  142,  197. 

People  will  not  buy,  20G. 
Inquisition  in  Spai'.i,  83,  85,  86,  87,  88,  89. 

In  Holland,  295-329. 
Insurgents  under  Wat  Tyler,  4G. 
Isabella  of  Castile,  81. 

Married  to  Ferdinand  of  Aragon,  82. 

Takes  possession  of  Senor  Pecho's  estate,  87. 

Manages  the  Pope's  legate,  87. 

Present  at  the  auto-da-fe,  89. 

Takes  possession  of  property  of  heretics,  90. 

Drives  Jews  from  Spain,  95. 
Isabella,  wife  of  Count  La  JNIarche,  20. 


James  of  Scotland,  son  of  Mary,  birth  of,  312. 
Coronation,  315. 
Becomes  King  of  England,  35G. 
His  belief  in  witches,  357. 
Answer  to  the  Puritan  ministers,  357. 
Issues  a  proclamation  requiring  conformity, 
357. 


James  of  Scotland  will  allow  no  one  to  leave 

England  without  a  license,  357. 
Jamestown  colonists,  308. 

Jeanne  d'Albret,  daugiiter  of  Henry  of  Navarre, 
marries  Anthony  of  Bourbon ;  mother  of 
Henry  IV.  of  France,  28G. 
Visits  Paris  to  attend  wedding  of  Francis  II., 

287. 
Followed  by  the  sjjies  of  Catiierine  de'  Medici, 

303. 
Escapes  with  Henry,  304. 
Jesuits,  Ignatius  Loyola  founder  of  tiie  society 
of,  223. 
Rules  of  the  order,  224. 
Their  self-denial  and  missionary  spirit,  225. 
They  stir  up  sedition  in  England,  340. 
Condemned  and  executed,  341. 
In  league  with  the  Duke  of  Guise  to  get  rid 
of  Henry  II I.,. 344. 
Jews  robbed  by  John,  20. 

Siq>ply  Ferdinand  with  money  to  carry  on  war, 

92.' 
Driven  from  Spain  by  Ferdinand  and  Isabella, 
93,  94. 
John,  King  of  England,  seizes  the  throne,  19. 
Puts  Arthur  to  death,  20. 
INIarries  Avisa,  20. 
Deserts  Avisa  and  marries  Isabella,  wife  of 

Count  La  Marche,  20. 
Robs  his  subjects,  20. 
Is  resisted  by  the  people  of  Wales,  21. 
Barons  rise  against  him,  22. 
Meets  the  Army  of  God  at  Runnymede,  and 

signs  the  Magna  Charta,  22. 
His  rage,  22. 

Sends  a  copy  of  the  Magna  Charta  to  Pope  In- 
nocent III.,  24. 
Contest  with  the  Barons,  and  death,  25. 
John  of  Gaunt,  friend  of  Wicklif  and  Ciiaucer, 

40. 
Johnson,  Mrs.,  wears  high-heeled  shoes,  384. 
Jones,  Captain,  393. 
Julius  Caesar,  180. 

K. 

Katherine  of  Aragon,  107. 

Married  to  Arthur,  son  of  Henry  VIL,  152. 

Betrothal  to  Henry  VIII.,  152. 

Marriage,  15G. 

Visits  Field  of  Cloth  of  Gold,  215,  219. 

Deserted  by  Henry  VIII.,  241. 

Protests  against  divorcement,  245. 

Retires  from  London,  and  writes  to  Charles 
v.,  247. 

Appeals  to  the  Pope,  248. 
Kingston,  Sir  Anthony,  273. 


112 


INDEX. 


Knights  of  the  Bath,  2r)0, 
Kiiollys,  Sir  Francis,  338. 
Kopeinik,  Nikohius,  109. 

L. 

La  Marche,  Count  of,  20. 
Land  of  tiie  Angles,  180. 
Laudinus,  Bishop,  preaches  against  John  Huss, 

61. 
Land-scheiding,  330. 
Latimer,  Bishop,  burned  at  Oxford,  279. 

Bill  for  his  burning,  280. 
Leipsic,  197,  201. 

Leyden  besieged  by  Spaniards,  329, 330, 335,  33G. 
Lisbon,  99. 
Lisle,  Viscount,  250. 
Loch  Leven,  314. 
Lollards,  50,  53. 

Prison,  140. 
Lorraine,  Duke  of  (see  Guise),  220. 
Lorraine,  Cardinal,  builds  a  gibbet  at  Fontaine- 
bleau,  291. 

Issues  order  for  the  extermination  of  heretics, 
303. 

Intrigue  with  nobles  of  Scotland,  340. 
Louis  XII.,  lGG-200. 
Loyola,  Ignatius,  222,  223. 
Luis  St.  Angel,  107. 
Lyons,  massacre  of  Huguenots,  325. 

M. 

Macaulay,  Thomas  Babington,  ballad  of  "  The 

Battle  of  I vry,"  349. 
Magna  Charta,  22,  23,  27,  29,  31,  48. 
Maine  settled  by  Fernando  Gorges,  398. 
Marco  Polo,  101. 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Henry  VII.,  155,  150. 
Marguerite  of  France,  31G,  317,  318. 
Maria  of  Portugal,  2G7. 
Marshalsea  prison,  281. 
Martin,  John,  370. 
Martin  Luther,  birth,  early  years,  172. 

Sings  Christmas  carols,  173. 

Cared  for  by  Ursula  Cotta,  174, 175. 

Discovers  a  Bible,  176. 

Doctor  of  Philosophy,  17G. 

Becomes  a  monk,  177. 

Visit  to  Rome.     (See  Chap.  XI.) 

Opposes  Tetzel,  202. 

Nails  a   paper   on    tlie   door    of  Wittenberg 
church,  203. 

Appears  before  Cajeton,  209. 

Burns  tlie  Pope's  bull,  228. 

Appeals  to  the  Council  of  the  Empire,  229. 

At  the  Diet  of  Worms,  230,  231,  233,  234,  235. 

Imprisoned  in  Wartburg  Castle,  236,  237,  238. 


Martin  Luther  translates  the  Bible,  239. 
Mary  Tudor,  talk  of  her  betrothal  to  Henry  II. 
of  France,  220. 

Coronation,  264. 

Accepts  offer  of  marriage  from  Philip  II.  of 
Spain,  265. 

Sends  Jane  Grey  to  the  block ;  hangs  nearly 
two  hundred  men,  265,  266. 

Sends  Elizabetii  to  the  Tower,  266. 

Marriage,  267. 

Restores  all  former   edicts  for  crushing  out 
heresy,  268. 

Makes  absolution  for  the  nation,  269. 

Persecutes   heretics,  271,  272,  273,  274,  275, 
276,  277,  278,  279,  280,281. 

Disappointment  and  death,  298. 
Martin  Vincent,  100. 

Mary  (sister  of  Henry  VIII.),  157,  220,  264. 
Mary  of  Scotland,  marries  Francis  II.  of  France, 
'287. 

Francis's  death,  and  her  farewell  to  France,  292. 

Return  to  Scotland,  311. 

Marriage  to  Lord  Darnley,  312. 

Relations  with  the  Earl  of  Bothwell,  imprison- 
ment and  escape,  313,  314,  315. 

Letter  to  Elizabeth,  338. 

Declared  guilty  of  conspiracy,  and  execution, 
342. 
Massasoit,  399,  400. 
Mayenne,  Duke  of,  348,  349. 
"Mayflower,"  ship,  386. 
Maximilian,  Emperor  of  Germany,  210. 
Meaux,  283. 

Melancthon,  Philip,  227,  246. 
Mendoza,  Cardinal,  103. 
Mentz,  70. 

Merindol,  massacre  of  Huguenots,  286. 
Michael  Angelo,  193. 
Meldritch,  Count,  364,  368. 
Mile  End,  48. 
"  Miracle  plays,"  37. 

Mirandola  attacked  by  Pope  Julius  II.,  190. 
Montcalm,  29. 
Montgomery,  Richard,  28. 
Morals  in  Rome,  192. 

More,  Sir  Thomas,  252,  253,  254,  258,  259,  260. 
Murray,  Earl,  338. 

N. 

Netherlands,  plundered  by  Charles  V.,  296. 

Newport,  Captain,  commander  of  expedition  to 
Virginia,  362. 

Newton,  Sir  John,  seized  by  Wat  Tyler's  insur- 
gents, 46. 

Norfolk,  Duke  of,  informs  Wolsey  that  his  estate 
is  confiscated,  252. 


INDEX. 


413 


Norfolk,  Duke  of,  ;U  biiniing  of  Anne  Askew, 
262. 
Intriguing  with  French  and  Scots  in  regard  to 

Mary,  340. 
Proposes  to  marry  Mary,  340. 
Northnmbeiland,  Earl  of,  and  Henry  VII.,  144. 

Begins  rebellion  against  Elizabeth,  341. 
Number  of  heretics  put  to  death  by  Torquemada, 

95. 
Nuremberg  Castle,  torture-chamber,  240. 

O. 
Orange,  Prince  of,  294,  329,  331,  342. 
Orleans,  massacre  of  Huguenots  at,  325. 
Oxford,  Countess  of,  at  Anne  Boleyn's  corona- 
tion, 250. 
O.xford,  Earl  of,  his  retainers,  144. 

At  Anne  Boleyn's  coronation,  249. 
Oxford,  Mai-quis  of,  at  Anne  Boleyn's   corona- 
tion, 250. 
Oxford,  Sheriff'  of,  bill  for  burning  Latimer  and 
Ridlev,  280. 

P. 
I'alissy,  Bernard,  283,  285. 
Palos,  102,  107,  11 G. 
Palm-Sunday  in  Rome,  186. 
Parliament,  established,  22,  27. 

Decides  that  no  cause  affecting  the  kingdom 

shall  be  judged  outside  the  realm,  and  that 

any  one  executing  the  Pope's  order  shall  be 

punished,  247. 

Declare  that  the  marriage  of  Henry  VIII.  and 

Katherine  of  Aragon  was  illegal,  248. 
That  Elizabeth  and  not  Mary  is  heir  to  the 

throne,  258. 
Makes  Henry  VIH.  head  of  tlie  Church,  258. 
Restores  edicts  against  heretics,  268. 
Declares  it  treason  to  publish  the  Pope's  bull, 

341. 
Presents  an   address  for  execution  of  Mary 

of  Scotland,  342. 
Passes  a  law  for  imprisonment  of  all  who  do 
not  conform  to  the  Church  of  England,  356. 
Parr,  Katherine,  marries  Henry  VIII.,  257. 
Parr,  Ambrose,  323. 
I'arson  of  Wentnor,  256. 

Pecho,  Sefior,  his  money  seized  by  Torqnemada, 
87. 
Death,  87. 
Penry,  John,  executed  for  Non-conformity,  355. 
People  of  England,  fondness  for  sports,  354. 
Perrenot,  Anthony,  persuades  Charles  V.  to  burn 

heretics,  295. 
Petition  of  ministers  to  James  I.,  357. 
Philip  II.  of  Spain,  266,  267,  282,  294,  300,  342. 
Pigeons,  330. 


Pilgrims,  arrival  in  Holland,  and  occupation,  383, 
384. 
Agreement  with  London  merchants,  385. 
Embarkation  at  Delftshaven,  386. 
Election  of  Governor,  389. 
Arrival  at  Cape  Cod,  390. 
Explore  the  shores  of  Cape  Cod,  393,  394. 
First  town-meeting,  396. 
Pinzon,  Alonzo,  107. 
Pinzon,  Yanez,  107. 
Pizarro,  130. 

Plans  that  did  not  come  to  pass,  221. 
Pocahontas,  371,  373. 
Pope  Alexander  VI.     (See  Chap.  IX.) 
Pope  Alexander  Farnese  accepts  service  of  the 

Society  of  Jesus,  224. 
Pope  Gregory  VII.,  his  declarations,  28. 
Pope  Gregory  XIII.  chants  a  Te  Deum  over  the 

massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  326. 
Pope  Innocent  III.,  his  power,  23. 
Releases  John  from  iiis  oath,  24. 
Excommunicates  the  barons  and  Archbisliop 
of  Canterbury,  25. 
Pope  Innocent  VIII.  appoints  Torqnemada  in- 
quisitor, 85. 
Licenses  priests   to    keep    taverris   and  play- 
houses, 86. 
Declares  that  dissent  from  his  decree  shall  be 
punished  with  death,  89. 
Pope  Julius  II.  defeated  by  Gaston  de  Foix,  190. 

Lampooned  by  Erasmus,  191. 
Pope  Leo  X.,  election,  193,  194. 

Appoints  Tetzel  to  sell  indulgences,  197. 
Summons    Martin    Luther   to    appear   before 

Cajeton,  209. 
Influence  in  election  of  Charles  V.,  210. 
Commands  Martin  Luther  to  stop  preacliing, 

227. 
Sends  word  to  Charles  V.  that  Luther  must 

be  silenced,  229. 
Upsetting  of  his  plans,  238. 
Pope  Paul  IV.,  message  to  the  Duke  of  Guise  to 
take  no  prisoners,  but  to  kill  all  heretics,  340. 
Publishes  a  bull  absolving  Englishmen  from 
allegiance  to  Elizabeth,  341. 
Pope  Urban  VI.  sends  a  bull  ordering  Wicklif 
to  Rome,  41. 
Sells  the  offices  of  the  Church,  42. 
Puts  cardinals  to  death,  43. 
Sells  the  Bishopric  of  Wells,  49. 
Popes  of  Rome  and  of  Avignon,  42,  57. 
Port  Royal,  360. 
Pra  del  Tor,  battle  of,  308. 
Printing.     (See  Chap.  IV.) 
Progress,  255,  257,  258. 
Putnam,  Israel,  28. 


414 


INDEX. 


Rabbi  Abarbanal,  supplications  to  Ferdinand, 
93. 

Rabiada,  Convent  of,  91. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  voyage  to  America;  inter- 
view with  Indians;  spreads  his  cloak  upon 
the  ground  for  Queen  Elizabeth  ;  settlement 
at  Roanoke,  3G1. 

RatcliflFe,  John,  370. 

Relics  in  Rome,  187,  188. 

Rheinstein,  71. 

Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,  18. 

Ridley,  burned  at  Oxford,  279. 
Bill  for  burning,  280. 

Rizzio,  Mary  of  Scotland's  secretary,  a  Jesuit 
priest,  murdered  by  Darnley  and  his  fellow- 
conspirators,  312. 

Roanoke,  settled  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  361. 

Robinson,  John,  preaches  in  Scrooby  manor- 
house,  356. 

Roger,  John,  studies  with   Martin    Luther,  aids 
Tyndal  and   Coverdale   in    translating  tlie 
Bible,  marriage,  family,  271. 
Death,  272. 

Roman  Forum,  180. 

Roper,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  More, 
258. 

Runny mede,  18,  20,  26. 


Saladin,  18. 

Salamanca,  Council  of,  105. 

Salisbury,  Archbishop  of,  152, 

Samoset,  398. 

Sandys,  bishop  of  York,  owns  the  manor-house 

at  Scrooby,  favors  the  execution  of  Mary 

of  Scotland,  340,  341. 
Saragossa,  80. 
Savoy  Palace,  47. 
Sbinco,  Archbishop  of  Prague,  57. 
Scrooby  manor-house,  Margaret  spends  a  night 

in,  155. 
Wolsey's  residence,  252. 
Residence  of  William  Brewster,  351. 
Richard  Clifton  preaches  in,  356. 
Seymour,   Jane,   marriage  with  Henry  VIII.  ; 

mother  of  Edward  VI.,  257. 
Sforza,  Lord,  165,  167. 
Shakspeare,  252,  301. 
Sigismund,  calls  Council  of  Constance,  59. 

Violates  his  safe-conduct  to  John  Huss,  61. 
Smith,  Jolin.     (See  Chap.  XXIX.) 
Smithfield,  execution  of  Thomas  Bayfield,  James 

Bainham,and  Anne  Askew,  253,  262. 
Squanto,  393. 


Standish,  Miles,  Captain,  393,  397. 

Standish,  Rose,  393,  397. 

Star-chamber,  144. 

St.  Augustine,  360. 

St.  Bartholomew's  Church,  262. 

St.  Bartholomew,  massacre   of.      (See  Chapter 

XXIV.) 
St.  Botolph's  Church,  275. 
St.  Brandon,  100. 
St.  Dunstan,  34,  35. 
St.  George,  35. 

St.  John's  Bay,  Newfoundland,  129. 
St.  Peter's  Church,  Amsterdam,  384. 
St.  Thomas's  shirt,  143. 
Strasburg  Cathedral,  71. 
Suffolk,  Duke  of,  249,  250. 
Sully,  Duke  of,  348. 
Sweden,  King  of,  300. 
Swiss  Guards,  325. 


Taragona,  Bishop  of,  88. 

Taxes  in  Germany,  202. 

Taylor,  Rowland,'275,  276,  277. 

Taylor,  Thomas,  277. 

Tetzel,  John,  197,  201,  203,  205. 

Thacker,  Elias,  put  to  death  for  Non-conformity, 

352. 
Thumb-screw,  83. 

Tobacco  first  used  by  Europeans,  114. 
Torquemada,  Thomas,  83,  87,  88,  93,  95. 
Tournaments,  219, 288. 
Tunstal,  Bishop,  253, 271. 
Tyburn,  355. 
Tyndal  translates  the  Bible  into  English,  271. 


Valladolid,80.- 

Van  der  Werff,Pieter,  burgomaster  of  Leyden  : 

his  bravery,  335. 
Vassari  paints  a  picture  of  the  massacre  of  St. 

Bartholomew,  326. 
Vassy,  massacre  of  Huguenots  by  the  Duke  of 

Guise,  302. 
Vaudois,the  Pope,  Philip  II.,  and  Catherine  de' 

Medici  unite  to  exterminate  them,  304. 
The  massacre,  307, 308, 309. 
Vicars  of  Ledburg,  Brasmyll,  Stow,  and  dome 

lead  scandalous  lives,  256. 
Virgin,  the  iion  instrument  of  torture  in  the  cas- 
tle of  Nuremberg,  240. 
Virgin  Mary,  statues  of,  erected  in  the  streets  of 

Paris,  291. 
Virginia, expedition  for  settlement  of,  361. 
Virginia  Dare,  first  wliite  child  burn  in  America, 

361. 


INDEX. 


41, 


Vittoiiii  Coloiina,  lier  contempt  for  the  Pope, 
1G5. 

Von  Camraeriicii,  Cardiinil,  at  Council  of  Con- 
stance, G2. 

W. 

Walsinjrham  Abbey,  142. 
Walsingham,  ambassador  to  Paris,  342. 
Wat  Tyler  kills  a  brutal  tax-collector,  46. 

Commands  insurgents, 4G. 

Killed  by  the  Mayor  of  London,  47. 
Weimar,  agents  of  the  Pope  post  a  jiapor  against 

Martin  Luther,  230. 
Westminster  Abbey,  founded   by   Edward,  145, 
14G. 

Legend,  145. 

How  it  was  built,  147. 
Westmoreland,  Earl  of,  engaged  in  a  rebellion 

against  Elizabeth,  341. 
Weston, Thomas, London  merchant,  3S'>. 
White,  John,  Governor  of  Roanoke,  3G1. 
Wicklif,  John,  preaches  after  he  is  dead,  .^0. 

Monks  dig  up  his  bones  and  burn  them,  30. 

A  boy  at  O.xford,  37. 

Preaches  to  Edward  IIL,38. 

Arraigns  the  dissolute  monks,  .39. 

His  doctrines  ;  teaches  the  right  of  individual 
opinion,  40. 

Summoned  to  the  Bishops'  Court,  40. 

Preaches  in  London,  43. 

Translates  the  Bible,  43. 


Wicklif,  John,  selects  the  East  Midland  dialect, 
44. 

Effect  of  his  preaching,  45. 

His  preaching  denounced  by  the  bishops  and 
monks,  4i). 

Death,  54. 
Wittenberg,  town  council,  230. 
Wolsey,  Cardinal,  meets  Charles  Y.,  210. 

His  boyhood,  210. 

Made  a  dean  by  Henry  VII., 210. 

Created  cardinal,  210. 

Bishop  of  York,  211. 

Prime-minister,  211. 

Marriages  of  kings,  2 13. 

Lays  plans  for  future  greatness,  214. 

Gives  a  banquet,  241. 

Disappointed  in  not  being  elected  Pope  ;  quar- 
rels with  Buckingham,  243. 

JMakes  all  Church  appointments  in  England, 
247, 

Incurs  displeasm'e  of  Henry,  251. 

Compelled  to  resign  his  power ;   confiscation 
of  his  estates,  252. 

Retires  to  manor-house  at  Scrooby,252. 

His  lament  and  death,  252. 
Worms,  meeting  of  the  Diet  at,  230, 234. 
Wyatt,  Sir  Thomas,  250, 2G5. 
Wyseman,  Thomas,  25G. 


X. 


Xavier,  Erancis,  222. 


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